News | Infectious diseases

Government to fund COVID-19 clinical trial using different vaccines for first and second doses

The COVID-19 Heterologous Prime Boost study will seek to establish the effects of using different vaccines for the first and second dose.…

Azithromycin and doxycycline should not be used in the management of COVID-19, DHSC advises

The Department of Health and Social Care have advised NHS trusts to stop using azithromycin in the management of patients hospitalised with COVID-19, unless it is being used for other licensed indications.…

Pharmacy ‘first ports of call’ are disappearing in struggling communities

A disproportionate number of community pharmacies are closing in the most deprived areas of England, analysis by The Pharmaceutical Journal has found. Without better funding for the sector, the health inequalities exposed by the pandemic could widen even further.…

‘Timing’ of letters to patients may be causing low COVID-19 vaccination booking rates for pharmacy sites

An NHS update has advised community pharmacy sites to check their settings on the National Booking Service to maximise uptake for COVID-19 vaccination appointments.…

Nearly four pharmacies per week closed last year, with deprived areas hit worst

Exclusive: More than four times as many pharmacies closed in the most deprived parts of England in 2020 than in the most affluent areas of the country, an analysis by The Pharmaceutical Journal has found…

Why our community pharmacy is one of just 15 London sites to go live on the COVID-19 vaccine so far

The Woolwich Late Night Pharmacy’s set-up makes it perfect for delivering the COVID-19 vaccination service, and here’s how they’re going to live up to their name.…

Community pharmacies deliver 2.5 million flu vaccinations so far during the 2020–2021 flu season

More than a million more flu jabs have been delivered by pharmacies in England during the the 2020/2021 flu season than were delivered during the entire 2019/2020 season.…

Pharmacy-led COVID-19 vaccination site in a mosque is beating vaccine hesitancy, says contractor

Pharmacists working with the Masters Group chain of pharmacies have begun administering vaccines from the Al-Abbas Islamic Centre in Birmingham.…

RPS maintains support for up to 12-week dosing interval between COVID-19 vaccines

Despite pressure to reduce the maximum gap between doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society still supports the government’s current 12-week interval policy.…

Team of community pharmacists to start vaccinating housebound patients

As part of an initiative, 22 community pharmacists will administer COVID-19 vaccinations to around 1,500 housebound patients in South Tyneside.…