MONTREAL -- Pharmacists in Quebec say there is still too much uncertainty surrounding the delivery of COVID-19 vaccine doses to pharmacies in the province.
Benoit Morin, president of the Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires (AQPP), explains that during the first-dose campaign, the lack of predictability of deliveries, combined with insufficient quantities, limited vaccination potential in pharmacies.
He notes continued ambiguity will affect their ability to offer patients their second vaccine doses, now that the government has moved up the dates for Pfizer and Moderna from 16 to eight weeks.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec's pharmacies have administered more than 600,000 doses.
Morin notes the network has a monthly vaccination capacity of 500,000 doses, so it is possible to innoculate more people -- if the government sends the pharmacies enough vaccines to do so.
The AQPP also wants to remind the public that appointments must be made on the Clic Santé website, and not by calling a pharmacy.
It invites the public to consult the website regularly to check whether new appointment slots have been added to the various vaccination sites.
The association brings together 2,040 pharmacists who own 1,900 pharmacies in Quebec.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 4, 2021.
