Pharmacists Can Preemptively Educate Patients on the Process for Receiving a COVID-19 Vaccine

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Stefan Behrens, PhD, CEO and co-founder of GYANT, and Justin Graham, MD, MS, chief medical officer, said preparing patients for the process of receiving a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is essential.

Behrens said one of the main concerns for pharmacists will be managing supply, which will vastly outstrip demand during the first period once a vaccine is approved. In order to begin mitigating this challenge, pharmacists can go ahead and educate patients on how the vaccines will be allocated and which patients will be prioritized.

Graham said that according to a CDC playbook, front line health care workers will be the first group to receive vaccinations, followed by other essential workers and individuals at high risk of infection, such as adults over the age of 65 and those with multiple chronic conditions. After these groups are vaccinated, Graham said others in the community will begin receiving vaccines before the final phase, in which those who were not included in the first 2 rounds will be vaccinated.

Ensuring that patients are aware of these phases will be important as pharmacists try to manage the demand, and Behrens said pharmacists are perfectly positioned to take the lead in educating community members.