Viral infections

‘Vital’ that masks continue to be worn in pharmacies after restrictions are lifted, warns RPS

Thorrun Govind, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's English Pharmacy Board, says face masks worn in pharmacies protect both pharmacists and the public.…

NHS to add 1,000 pharmacy-led sites to COVID-19 vaccination programme ahead of booster campaign

This follows interim advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to revaccinate vulnerable patients against COVID-19 from September 2021.…

Unsung heroes: the hospital pharmacists working behind the scenes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Intensive care teams have rightly been in the spotlight during the pandemic, but there are thousands of other NHS workers who have played a crucial role in keeping hospital services going.…

Pharmacies in England delivered 50% more flu jabs per pharmacy during 2020/2021 season

Nine out of the top ten performing pharmacies in delivering flu vaccinations were independents or a branch of an independent multiple.…

Everything you should know about the coronavirus pandemic

The latest information about the novel coronavirus identified in Wuhan, China, and advice on how pharmacists can help concerned patients and the public.…

Tackling the rise of concerning COVID-19 variants in the UK

As more variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge in the UK, scientists are racing to update existing COVID vaccines, and to develop new ones.…

Community pharmacists administer almost 3 million flu jabs in 2020–2021

There have been at least 2.6 million vaccines administered by community pharmacy in England during the 2020–2021 flu vaccination programme.…

Patients aged over 50 years to be offered free flu vaccine under expanded 2021–2022 programme

The Scottish government has also announced that community pharmacists and other independent contractors will be eligible to receive a flu vaccine next winter.…

Government doubles funding for PrEP commissioning

The public health grant to local authorities for 2021/2022 includes £23.4m to cover the routine commissioning of pre-exposure prophylaxis.…

Government to consider PrEP provision outside of sexual health clinics

Exclusive: The government says access to pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV could be expanded to community pharmacies and GP practices.…