TIME will tell what impact Victoria's Stage Four COVID-19 restrictions are having on community pharmacies, Australian Pharmaceutical Industries (API) CEO, Richard Vincent, believes.
Vincent told Pharmacy Daily that the company's Priceline Pharmacy network in Victoria was continuing to play an integral role in supporting the health needs of patients in the state.
"All Priceline Pharmacies in Victoria remain open and are important to their local communities," he said.
"It is too early to tell what impact Stage Four restrictions will have.
"We're communicating regularly with all our pharmacists, providing support and guidance, particularly around how to keep themselves, staff and customers safe in these dangerous times."
Responding to concerns flagged in relation to pharmacy home delivery services, with Australia Post and other logistics businesses being ordered to reduce their capacity by 33% in Victoria (PD 10 Aug), Vincent said API has worked with pharmacies to maintain services.
"They are doing a vital job extremely well and we're ensuring that they have timely delivery of medicines and other essential products," he said.
Sigma CEO, Mark Hooper, told the Sydney Morning Herald that the wholesaler had been in discussions with the State Government regarding its distribution centres, adding he expected it to be able to maintain normal stock levels during the lockdown period.
"It just highlights how critical medicine distribution infrastructure is," he said.
Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Australia Post has confirmed it will be prioritising its medicines delivery capacity in Victoria, to ensure patients retain access to vital products, in response to the restrictions.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 13 Aug 20
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