SAINT JOHN, N.B. For more than four months now, pharmacists in New Brunswick have been going ‘flat out,’ administering nearly 450,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and counting. “All of this, of course, is on top of the other work that they do,” says Jake Reid, executive director of New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association. “Including giving out medications, and providing health services, so it’s been very, very busy for pharmacists.” New Brunswick has now vaccinated more than 81 per cent of the eligible population with a first dose and more than 66 per cent have now received their second dose. However, the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association says demand for COVID-19 vaccines is dropping and about 30 community pharmacies in the province have now opted-out of the vaccine program, with 179 now active.
N B businesses with high-risk clients might need to keep COVID-19 restrictions cbc.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbc.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
FREDERICTON New Brunswick s vaccine rate slowed over the weekend, according to the province s COVID-19 dashboard. The number of second doses increased 1.2 per cent, while first doses only gained 0.1 per cent. But public health says those numbers may not reflect what actually happened over the weekend. At times, it can take some extra time for vaccination clinic data to be reported to Public Health and displayed on the COVID-19 dashboard, said Bruce Macfarlane, department of health communications director. I think we are experiencing something like this from the past weekend. And Jake Reid, executive director at the N.B. Pharmacists Association, says they haven t seen a slowdown.
FREDERICTON As travel restrictions relax across Canada, the Maritime provinces are still pushing vaccination and preparing for the next phases of the pandemic. Vaccination rates in New Brunswick are hurling towards 40 per cent, with 39.6 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers are now fully vaccinated and 78.3 per cent of those eligible have received their first dose. I think that people need to book the appointment they can get,” said Jake Reid, President of the New Brunswick Pharmacy Association. “Take the first available appointment to take whatever vaccine is offered. It’s only the two MRNA vaccines right now the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine.”
The New Brunswick Pharmacists Association has opened walk-in vaccine clinics for Friday and Saturday to make it as easy as possible for people to get vaccinated.