Alberta pharmacies overwhelmed by sudden demand for COVID boosters, rapid tests
CBC
Pharmacist Manjeet Lotey was surprised when a 30-year-old Albertan called them to book a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot on Tuesday.
Lotey, who manages Edgemont Pharmacy in west Edmonton, explained that they couldn't yet book for someone in that age group.
"No, they changed it," the caller said.
Skeptical, Lotey replied, "Let me Google it."
Sure enough, on the Alberta Health website it was confirmed that anyone 18 and older was now eligible for their booster shot, as long as it had been five months since their second dose.
Lotey said he felt foolish.
"It looks like we don't know what we're doing," he said.
Right after, the phones started ringing – all four of them – and they never stopped.
Across Alberta pharmacies struggled to deal with a rush of COVID booster appointments along with high demand for rapid tests made available to the public four days earlier. That's on top of regular appointments, calls for medications and prescriptions.
Alberta government spokesperson Jason Maloney said pharmacies are often notified an hour before any announcement.
"Due to the more than 1,500 pharmacies and stakeholders (such the Alberta Pharmacists Association), the email took time to process," he wrote in an email.
"Additionally, it could take some time before all staff in a pharmacy would be aware as they are most likely busy working and may not see the email in the inbox right away."
Ghada Haggag, owner of All-Care Pharmacy in Capilano, said in the 21 years she has been working, she has never seen a week like this.
She said she had to keep deleting voice messages to make room for patients calling about their medications and doctors leaving verbal prescription orders.
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