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Katie Woolf spoke with Pharmacy Guild NT Branch Director Judith Oliver · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixteen with Katie Wolf thanks to Joyce Main, Darwin
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: homes On and Stuart Highway.
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  Speaker 2: Berrima.
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  Speaker 1: Well, we have been talking throughout the morning about the
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  Speaker 1: vaccine rollout and the vaccine rollout heading into pharmacy so
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  Speaker 1: that we can hopefully pop into some locations and have
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  Speaker 1: the COVID nineteen vaccine in a pharmacy. But to find
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  Speaker 1: out a little bit more about the situation is Pharmacy
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  Speaker 1: Guild NTI Branch Director Judith Oliver. Good morning to you, Judith.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time this morning. Judith,
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  Speaker 1: tell us a little bit more about how you understand
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  Speaker 1: this rollout is going to happen in pharmacies.
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  Speaker 2: There's only a little bit of information available to pharmacies
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  Speaker 2: at the moment, but as far as we're aware, nineteen
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  Speaker 2: pharmacies in the nt expressed an interest in delivering the
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  Speaker 2: COVID vaccine back in March, and just ten days ago
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  Speaker 2: they were approached by the Commonwealth to see if they
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  Speaker 2: were still interested, and sixteen of those have agreed to participate.
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  Speaker 2: We expect, or we've been told that the start date
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  Speaker 2: for that will be the twelfth of July and pharmacies
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  Speaker 2: are expecting to be onboarded this weekend to be able
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  Speaker 2: to order stock. So that's all the information we have
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  Speaker 2: currently for you.
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  Speaker 1: Well that is that sounds like a good thing. Sixteen
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  Speaker 1: have agreed to it. So sixteen of those pharmacies do
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  Speaker 1: we know are they in Darwin? Some of them in
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  Speaker 1: the rural area out in central Australia. Do we know
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  Speaker 1: what areas they're in? Judas?
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  Speaker 2: They are spread across the territory, So there are a
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  Speaker 2: few in our springs, Tenant Creek, Catherine, Darwin and the
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  Speaker 2: rural area are included in those numbers.
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  Speaker 1: That's good to hear. I know that this will hopefully
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  Speaker 1: make the role out a little easier for everybody. Do
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  Speaker 1: you have any idea at this point in time how
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  Speaker 1: it'll sort of work If you do want to go
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  Speaker 1: into to a pharmacy to get the vaccine, there.
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  Speaker 2: Will be a booking platform similarly to the one that
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  Speaker 2: the vaccine hubs are using at the moment, so customers
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  Speaker 2: can book online. I'd probably suggest though that if people
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  Speaker 2: are interested that they ask their regular pharmacy whether they're
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  Speaker 2: participating and get their name down on a list or
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  Speaker 2: that kind of weight, you know, there may be some
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  Speaker 2: weight to get stock.
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  Speaker 1: And Judith, do you know if it will be the
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  Speaker 1: phiser and the astrosenica vaccine at this point or is
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  Speaker 1: that detail still being worked through.
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  Speaker 2: That detail is still being worked through. We haven't been
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  Speaker 2: informed whether it's one or both. We would really like
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  Speaker 2: for it to be Firezer as well, given that the
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  Speaker 2: storage conditions have changed for the fires A vaccine, it's
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  Speaker 2: definitely something that pharmacies can store appropriately and give safely.
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  Speaker 2: And obviously there's a greater demand for the fire A
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  Speaker 2: vaccine in the territory at the moment too, so we've
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  Speaker 2: got our fingers crossed that pharmacies can give both.
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  Speaker 1: And Judith, how are all of those pharmacies, all sixteen
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  Speaker 1: of them feeling about about rolling out the vaccine from
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  Speaker 1: the twelfth of July.
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  Speaker 2: Pharmacies are very pleased to be included in the rollout.
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  Speaker 2: Pharmacies in the NTA have been vaccinating with the flu
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  Speaker 2: vaccine and measles and hooping cough since twenty fifteen, so
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  Speaker 2: they're quite experienced vaccinators. Now the COVID vaccine isn't really
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  Speaker 2: any different to give to those vaccines that they're experienced with,
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  Speaker 2: so they're really pleased to be coming on board and
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  Speaker 2: helping Territorians get their COVID vaccination.
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  Speaker 1: And Judith, is it a situation where does the pharmacist
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  Speaker 1: do the vaccine? Do they have a nurse that works
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  Speaker 1: in there that delivers it, how exactly does it?
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  Speaker 2: But that's the pharmacist. So pharmacists are qualified to give vaccinations.
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  Speaker 2: There's a course that they need to do to prove
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  Speaker 2: that they're competent, and they need to have staff members
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  Speaker 2: within the pharmacy who are first aid trained to be
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  Speaker 2: able to provide backup support to the pharmacist. So it
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  Speaker 2: will be just like getting a flu vaccine in your pharmacy.
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  Speaker 2: Now you'll book online, the pharmacist will give you the
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  Speaker 2: vaccine and you'll sit in the pharmacy for fifteen minutes
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  Speaker 2: and wait so that they can check there's no adverse event,
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  Speaker 2: and the history of your vaccination will appear on the
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  Speaker 2: Australian Immunization Register just the same way it would if
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  Speaker 2: you've got the vaccination in a GP practice or one
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  Speaker 2: of the COVID hubs.
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  Speaker 1: Good stuff. And I guess the positive is that because
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  Speaker 1: it has been rolled out in the in the GP's
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  Speaker 1: clinics and the different vaccine hubs that we sort of
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  Speaker 1: know how things need to happen, and so rolling it
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  Speaker 1: into the pharmacies just seems like the next step.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, Absolutely, pharmacies are open extended hours as well, so
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  Speaker 2: it provides another opportunity for people who work or find
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  Speaker 2: it difficult to get a GP appointment. You know, you
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  Speaker 2: might be able to go to a pharmacy on a
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  Speaker 2: Saturday or after hours and get your COVID vaccination there.
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  Speaker 2: So it's a great way to extend the program to
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  Speaker 2: those who find it difficult currently.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Judith, all of us the Pharmacy Guild NTI branch,
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  Speaker 1: we really appreciate you having a chat with us this
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  Speaker 1: morning and talking us through that roll out in our pharmacies.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you.
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  Speaker 1: We appreciate your time. Judith,