COCHRANE— Pharmacies across Cochrane have seen a concerning stagnation of COVID-19 vaccine appointments at their facilities.
Cochrane’s vaccine rates sit slightly above the provincial average, with roughly 77.7 per cent of people aged 12 and up having received one dose of the vaccine, and 67.9 per cent of people 12 and up fully vaccinated in the Cochrane-Springbank area, according to the Alberta Government.
Reid McDonald, a pharmacist at the Sunset Ridge Pharmacy, said he has seen a few notable changes over the past few weeks when it comes to vaccines.
“We were booking four weeks out and now it's down to less than a week out and far more no-shows,” McDonald said. “Some people booked not even a week ago and haven’t shown up today. We’ve probably had three or four today … You can tell we’re getting to the end.”
McDonald said he estimates roughly a 50 per cent drop-in vaccination appointments.
There are several reasons for the drop-off in appointments being made, McDonald said. People who have received one shot may be delaying their second shot, either due to the partial protection or waiting a little longer to get their second as some research indicates waiting might offer the patient a more robust immune response.
He also noted that some may be hesitant to get the shot at all, however first shot appointments are still being made.
The situation at Two Pharmacy is similar, according to owner Reid Kimmett.
Kimmett said roughly two weeks ago the situation switched from demand exceeding supply to the exact opposite.
“We’re coming to the risk of having to dispose of unused vaccine,” he said. “I think part of it is that supply has increased through much of the province. People can get a vaccine anywhere, and those who have been very eager to get it, they have gotten it at this point. I think we’re down to people who are a little vaccine hesitant.”
Other factors Kimmett said may be playing on the plateaued rates of vaccinations in Cochrane and elsewhere are misinformation and poor communication regarding the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.
Kimmett said Two Parmacy is capable of doling out more than 130 shots in a day, but is currently seeing only five or six appointments being booked per day.
He explained the vaccines like Moderna have a minimum amount which can be ordered at once, which is why vaccines are at risk of being wasted with the current number of vaccinations happening at Two Pharmacy.
“Moderna, the minimum we can order right now are 140 doses at a time, but we’re having a really hard time filling up even five slots in a day,” he said. “Then you only have one month from when it arrives to use it. It gets into a tricky scenario where there are people in Canada and all over the world who want a vaccine and don’t have access to it, and right now we’re in a bit of a reverse situation.”
He said it is frustrating to see the waste happening given the difficult year the community has dealt with.
“All throughout the pandemic and through the vaccine rollout we’ve been trying to do right by the community and help as many people as we can, and if vaccines go in the garbage it feels like the reverse of that."
Kimmett said he encourages anyone who is still skeptical of the vaccine to reach out to a medical health professional to have their questions answered.
“I think it’s important that they get the best medical information that they can. Unfortunately, a lot of people have been relying on news media and social media for that which can sometimes have some questionable advice. I think to go straight to the source, whether that be your pharmacist or your family physician if you have access to one, I think is the way to go so you’re getting the right information from the right source delivered straight to you.”
Hesitancy is a spectrum, McDonald said, and ranges from the skeptics to people with underlying health disorders who are worried the vaccine might interfere with their health.
McDonald pointed out that it is important to have your questions answered by a healthcare provider that you know and trust.
“People with a laundry list of questions, I don’t know if answering every single one of those is going to help If they don’t have trust in the person they’re talking to,” he said. “We’ve had some hesitant people who say they’ve had a conversation or two with their doctors and that was enough to swing them over. We certainly have conversations with people that we know well, however, generally answering their questions isn’t the most important part. For them to know that it’s safe, effective and people around them are getting it seems to be a better motivator.”
Gunjan Dave, a pharmacist at Fireside Pharmacy, said his clinic is also seeing a slowdown with regards to rates of vaccinations.
Dave said he believes the lower rates are due to people being busier due to the reopening, the majority of people who want a vaccine have already received it, and the fact that vaccine supply far outweighs demand at this point.
“People can get vaccines everywhere easily,” he said.
Another big motivating factor for people to get the vaccine was the reopening, Dave said.
When reopening plans were announced in the province, many people rushed to get their vaccinations done to take full advantage of the freshly opened businesses and opportunities.
“When the government announced that it would get reopened after the second of July onward, during that time the majority of people rushed to get their doses done because everyone wanted to have plans for work requirements or for travelling purposes,” he said.
Dave said many of the people coming in to get vaccinated are people who are encountering restrictions that require them to be vaccinated. In the coming weeks, he said, he can feasibly see vaccinations rates drop to zero.
McDonald urged people who want a vaccine to get one sooner, rather than later. If levels of wastage go up in the province, the government could consolidate vaccination sites, and limit certain pharmacy's ability to order vaccines.
As a matter of convenience, if you want a shot, or are putting off your second dose, acting now may be the best option.
“I don’t think that we can rationalize every pharmacy throwing out a half-vial a day and having that much wastage. I think they’ll consolidate sites, they’ll consolidate into AHS sites, and I think they’ll consolidate and go back to our original public health units,” he said.
Fireside Pharmacy, Sunset Ridge Pharmacy and Two Pharmacy all offer COVID-19 vaccines. To book an appointment, contact your local pharmacist.
