The massive inoculation efforts in the U.S. have been led by pharmacists, emphasizing their important role in the healthcare system that shouldn't be overlooked, pharmacy student Payton Atkins wrote in the Herald Leader Dec 3.
It's estimated that 70 percent of Americans received their COVID-19 shot by a pharmacy worker, and over 90 percent of Americans live within 5 miles of a pharmacy. Special measures induced by the pandemic have allowed more pharmacy staff to become involved in immunizations, with interns and some technicians now permitted to gain their immunization certificate.
Thus, Ms. Atkins writes, pharmacists are often the most accessible healthcare workers to the general public. However, they can be perceived as pill counters instead of recognized for the clinical experts they are. He encourages everyone to think about where the U.S. vaccination rate would be without pharmacists and understand the unique services provided by pharmacists.