By Jen Cowley
Sally Sheehan has been a pharmacist for three decades and she’s seen almost everything when it comes to the day-to-day health needs of the western plains community in which she grew up. Almost.
Nothing could have prepared her for Coronavirus.
“Never, ever, ever have I seen anything like this,” she says from behind the mask and white protective gear that’s become as much a part of her everyday workwear as a name tag.
“When I did my degree all those years ago, I could never have envisaged I’d be vaccinating people against a global pandemic.”
That she and other pharmacists are in fact now delivering those jabs is a welcome addition to the community’s defence against the virus according to the experienced co-owner of Delroy Terry White Chemmart who long argued for the move.
“Allowing pharmacists to give the vaccines has made it so much more accessible for so many more people, but it was very frustrating that it took so long.”
The procession of people seeking the vaccine, and now the booster, has been relentless for the team, but the workload has now ramped up to an even more frenetic pace.
“The whole Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) thing has been a nightmare.
“We had to change the message on our phone because every second call was someone trying to find a RAT, and our supplies have been really hit and miss.”
Mrs Sheehan and her staff are now bracing for when the government’s program of five free tests per month for concession card-holders kicks in.
“We have to record and report it all through the pharmacy, which is a lot of work, but the government isn’t supplying the tests to us. We have to source our own stock for the program, and pay whatever price is being asked, even though the remuneration is being set at a flat rate by the government.
“It’s putting a lot of pressure on us.”
At a time when members of the general public are frightened and on edge after being tormented for more than two years now with the spectre of an unseen enemy, front line workers like Sally Sheehan and her staff are squarely in the firing line in the wake of the latest development in the pandemic’s life.
“I feel sorry for the public,” she says.
“They’re being told by the government that they must go and get RATs, but they can’t source them.
“It’s particularly tough for business owners who have to test their staff – I’ve had some who are absolutely desperate because they’re trying to keep their businesses operating.
“It’s not just families and individuals that are being affected.”
Hopefully, things will ease somewhat with a “big drop” of RATs in early February – Mrs Sheehan has her fingers crossed tightly.
“But it’s so hard to know. We had 1000 ordered recently, then the supplier cancelled our order. It’s so frustrating.”
With a platform from which to speak directly to the government, this tired but dedicated community pharmacist would have one simple request: “Please forewarn us when you’re going to make decisions.
“For instance, they announced the change to the interval between vaccines and boosters, but they told the general public before they told us. Suddenly, we have everyone looking for appointments and we had no time to prepare.
“They really need to give front-line workers the heads up first.
“They need to tell us, for instance, about RATs, and make sure we have time to get them into stock before they do the free roll-out, and also give us time to sort out a strategy for rolling it out. We’re the ones who will be policing it, not the government.”
The experienced community pharmacist also has a dire warning for those who may be tempted to source RATs on the cheap, or from the internet, for instance.
“It’s really important to stress to people that they must be careful when they’re buying RATs to make sure the tests are the ones approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA),” she says, adding that there are “a lot of scammers out there”.
If you want to make sure you’re getting a reliable RAT, you can check the TGA website, which has a list of approved RATs.
“The tests being sold through pharmacies are all TGA-approved, so if you want to be safe, go to your local pharmacist. The non-TGA approved tests simply aren’t reliable.”
•••
The latest addition to the schedule of vaccination duties for pharmacists is the start of the “junior jabs” for those aged 5-11.
While we wait at an acceptable social distance for a break in the traffic to speak with the busy pharmacist, there’s a steady stream of young patients rolling up their sleeves.
Among them are the Pears’ boys – Henry, 7, and Arthur, 5 who is about to go to “big school” for the very first time.
Mum Danielle cut short the boys’ holiday with their grandmother, so important she felt it was for them to be vaccinated.
“Both the boys are asthmatic,” she tells Dubbo Photo News while the boys unwrap their post-vaccine treat.
“I was worried they would have a more significant reaction to Covid-19 than other kids, but I also work for (the department of) health, and I regularly see the implications on long-term illness in children.
“I will do anything to protect the health of my family.
“My husband and I lined up very early in the piece, and the kids are in as early as I could get them vaccinated.”
As a mother, what would she say to other parents who have reservations about their children getting the vaccine?
“I’d say the things we read on social media aren’t always reliable – if you have worries, talk to an actual health professional like your doctor or pharmacist or nurse you trust – get evidence-based advice.”
The boys, Mrs Pears says, were quite laidback about the jabs, and were made age-appropriately aware of the need for the shots.
“They have their ‘flu shots every year and so we just explained to them that the Covid shot would be very similar to that – they were fine, they were just excited to get the lollypop and the badge at the end.
For her part, Mrs Sheehan says most people are keen to protect their children, but she is urging parents to be patient and wait the recommended eight weeks between the first and second vaccines.
“I know people are anxious and want to have their children double vaxxed before they return to school, but that’s simply not going to be possible,” she warns.
For parents who are nervous, she says the vaccine is extremely well tolerated in children.
“The most common side-effect in kids is that they get a bit of a sore arm.
“Kids are tolerating the vaccine way better than adults, and it’s really important to remember just what a hot zone schools are for spreading Covid. For the sake of vulnerable grandparents, for instance, or for teachers, it’s important to have the kids vaccinated.”
•••
Asked to gaze into her crystal ball, Mrs Sheehan says she believes, as do many who are in the thick of healthcare provision during this pandemic, that the virus is simply something we’re going to have to learn to get along with.
“I think it’ll become like the ‘flu, and the injections we have for that. We’ll get mutations and they’ll develop vaccines for that particular variant.”
She points to the number of people who have now had the virus across NSW, and to the consequent rise in a semblance of immunity without the corresponding deadliness.
“Hopefully, by the time winter comes – which is when it tends to spike – we might all be in a better position to deal with it,” she says.
“There’s even talk of looking at combining the ‘flu and Covid vaccinations all in one. Wouldn’t that be great for everyone?”
What would also be great for everyone is for authorities to be on the same page, she agrees, but is magnanimous in her assessment of the way forward.
“To be fair to the government, this thing is such an unknown quantity that they’re learning as they go along just as we all are.”
