given the change in eligibility, the professional association for ontario pharmacists says deliveries of vaccines will need to pick up to meet the increased demand.
“supply of the vaccine at the provincial level being distributed to the pharmacies, given the large change in cohort, is definitely on our minds,” said jen baker, chair of the board of the ontario pharmacists association. she added that she expects the astrazeneca vaccine to be available for those 18 and older in the near future.
several ottawa pharmacies contacted by this newspaper said they have noticed significant upticks in vaccine bookings since the provincial announcement, though not all agreed that it would pose problems.
pillay said he was well-positioned to meet existing demand before the eligibility change, having 200 doses of astrazeneca ready for patients in the 55-plus category. but with demand for the vaccine doubling overnight, he’s worried that he won’t be able to keep pace, with 400 people now on his pharmacy’s waiting list.
the pharmacy owner said it’s problematic because he can only order more doses once half of his current supply has been administered.
“even though i have booked everything out, only once i inject a hundred and something people, only then i’m going to be able to order some more, which might take me about a week to do.”