While the number of tests in pharmacies to get tested for Covid-19 beats records, Philippe Besset assures us that pharmacies manage to distribute “nearly a million self-tests per day” but are forced to put “a little pause on vaccination”.
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“It becomes very complicated to take on the burden of antigenic testing and vaccination at the same time”, estimated, Monday, December 27, on franceinfo Philippe Besset, president of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France, while the number of pharmacy tests to be screened for Covid-19 is breaking records.
“The past week has been really intense, he explains. We did over a million tests on the Thursday and Friday days before Christmas. “ Philippe Besset adds that this record for the number of tests continues today in pharmacies: “Many are contact cases which come to reassure themselves, people follow the rules but this creates a very strong activity in pharmacies.”
Philippe Besset admits that pharmacists have “put the vaccination on hold a little bit” during the end of year celebrations. “We cannot do everything at the same time, but in terms of tests, the equipment is there”, he assures. Because if the self-tests were out last week, the pharmacist maintains that the pharmacies are arriving today “to distribute nearly a million self-tests per day”, and that tests and self-tests will be available before New Year’s Eve.
After new directives from the government, Philippe Besset explains that “From January, pharmacies will be able to use doctors, retired doctors, nurses, students, and turn into a vaccination center. We will put the package on vaccination in January. During these two weeks, we focuses on testing. I think there is enough work out there. “