Pharmacy delivers flu shots, but not COVID tests

As of Friday, up to 60 pharmacies in Ontario will begin offering free COVID-19 testing to expand testing capacity beyond the province’s 150 assessment centres.
However, Creemore Village Pharmacy will not be one of them
“I don’t have the manpower or the space to do it safely,” said pharmacist Jennifer Yaeck. “There’s going to be quite a few little stores like mine that won’t be able to offer it.”
She said she will concentrate on delivery of the flu shot.
Due to the challenges of the pandemic, Yaeck said the flu shots will have to be delivered off-site and with rigorous precautions in place to protect customers and staff.
Yaeck is currently looking for a location to set up a flu shot site in Creemore.
She doesn’t know when she will get the flu shots in, along with the high dose flu shots for seniors, but people can call the pharmacy and place their names on a waiting list.
Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit medical officer of health, Dr. Charles Gardner, is urging people to get the flu shot in order to safeguard the health care system. He said this is especially important for children and the elderly who can become ill from the flu and may need to be hospitalized.
In his weekly media update, Gardner said he continues to be concerned by the rising cases of COVID-19 in the region. The total case count for Simcoe Muskoka has reached 842, with 87 of those being active.
The numbers are on the rise across the province. As a result, the province last week has limited public gatherings to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.