Two Toronto pharmacies are no longer operating vaccination programs. Lawlor and Rylander pharmacies have shut it down due to delivery challenges, causing an inability to keep up with demand.
"We get these massive boxes in the pharmacy," said pharmacist Kyro Maseh. "Then you end up getting something this size. It's a joke. It's basically the government telling us, 'Stop doing this.' That's the message that we're getting."
He says the problems started after Shoppers Drug Mart distribution was granted the provincial contract to deliver flu and COVID vaccines to his pharmacies and other Pharmasave locations. "Unfortunately, this change has created challenges, and the goal of achieving the optimal number of Ontario residents having received their flu and COVID vaccinations is being compromised," Cheung said in an emailed statement. "We have been, and continue to work with the Ministry of Health and the assigned distributor to address the issues."
"As a distributor, we have a number of support services in place with pharmacies to ensure a smooth process, including a daily call and a toll-free support line," the emailed statement read. "While no issues have been raised about this through those channels, we are working with the pharmacist directly.
Jen Belcher with the Ontario Pharmacist Association told CTV News often during the early days of the annual vaccine program, there's a high demand for flu and COVID vaccines, making orders challenging.
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