Pharmacists have said they have been "sidelined" from the Covid-19 vaccination programme, for people aged over 70 years. The Irish Pharmacy Union says it has been given no written explanation as to why vaccination of patients over 70 is to be done exclusively by GPs.
Secretary General of the Irish Pharmacy Union Darragh O' Loughlin said there was no clinical reason for it. "Pharmacists have safely vaccinated over 70s for the flu every year for a decade", he said.
Mr O' Loughlin also said the IPU had been given no information on when pharmacists and their teams will be vaccinated for Covid-19, despite being a core part of the National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme.