Coadministration of flu and COVID-19 vaccines: leveraging community pharmacies

Influenza and COVID-19 can have an important impact in health, productivity and quality of life, especially for vulnerable populations. Likewise, both diseases have vaccines that are available and support a lower risk of transmission of the disease.

Pharmacists can play a major role in reminding people to get vaccinated, building vaccine confidence and supporting their decision making, dispensing vaccines and, in some countries, administering those vaccines. The coadministration of these vaccines can lead to an efficient and convenient way of improving vaccine uptake against both diseases. Community pharmacies’s accessibility and credibility put them in an ideal situation to provide this important service, thus making a valuable contribution to disease prevention.

This digital event will discuss the importance of promoting the coadministration of COVID-19 and flu vaccines as well as strategies for pharmacies’ involvement.

By the end of the session participants should be able to:
• Understand the benefits of vaccine coadministration
• Recognize the need for vaccination coverage in both flu and COVID-19
• Present the FIP Guideline on this topic

Moderator:
-Daragh Connolly, President Community Pharmacy Section-Ireland

Panelsists:
-Mitchel Rothholz, Immunization Consultant Three-C Consulting-USA
-Lisa Nissen, Head, School of Clinical Sciences Queensland University of Technology Brisbane, Australia
-Sham Moodley, Pharmacist Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa/Independent Community Pharmacy Assoc (ICPA)-South Africa
-Paula Teixeira, Scientific Information Manager
Center for Medicines Information and Health Interventions (CEDIME) in the Portuguese National Association of Pharmacies (ANF)-Portugal
-Rúben Viegas, FIP Practice Development and Transformation Projects Coordinator FIP-Portugal