Pharmacies not equipped to administer booster jabs, says Tipp pharmacist

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A Tipperary pharmacist says the sector is not set up to administer the booster vaccine.

250,000 healthcare workers are set to receive the top-up jab, after lengthy discussions by NIAC.

Clonmel based pharmacist Ronan Quirke told Tipp Today that the vaccine software they use wouldn’t allow for a further dose.

“That software doesn’t allow for pharmacists to record a third dose, so until such time as somebody updates that software, there is no facility for pharmacies to record when somebody gets a third dose.

“We can’t proceed further until such time as somebody fixes the software.”

He added that there is also a lot of vaccine waste, due to a lack of protocols.

Ronan referenced a walk-in clinic in Clonmel last Friday, where there were four no shows, but the vaccines couldn’t be given to four healthcare workers, because there was no system to support such a deviation from an appointment booked in.