Vorarlberg pharmacists expect vaccination rates to rise

Pharmacists in Vorarlberg expect vaccination rates to increase when pharmacies begin offering vaccinations next spring, ORF reported, citing Christof van Dellen, president of the Vorarlberg Chamber of Pharmacists. He said the easier access would mean people would not need to make a separate appointment with a doctor.

Austria’s Council of Ministers agreed in early November to allow pharmacists to vaccinate. The first vaccinations offered in pharmacies are expected to cover tick-borne encephalitis, pertussis, tetanus and diphtheria, and hepatitis B. The service will be available to people aged 14 and over, with pregnant people and patients at risk among those excluded.

Pharmacy staff will need to complete training and pass an examination. Vaccinations must be given in a separate room. Van Dellen said Vorarlberg was the first Austrian state to offer pharmacists vaccination training, and that about half of the state’s pharmacists had completed it.

The Austrian Medical Chamber opposes giving pharmacists the authority to vaccinate and says existing medical vaccination services should instead be strengthened. It argues that vaccination involves medical assessment, advice, information and follow-up, not just an injection.