The world has been living with COVID-19 for over 4 years. With the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, it has been estimated that millions of cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been avoided globally. As the virus has continued to evolve, additional vaccine doses and updated vaccine formulations have been introduced to continue to provide protection from this virus. Canadians had one of the highest COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the world, with more than 4 out of 5 of the total population receiving at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. With each subsequent dose, the uptake has been much lower, with only 16.3% of the total population receiving the last vaccine (XBB.1.5 formulation).
Pharmacists have been instrumental in vaccinating large portions of the community and providing information throughout the pandemic. With a new vaccine formulation being introduced in the fall, pharmacists will be relied upon to protect their patients and encourage vaccine uptake. This program is designed to provide pharmacists with a quick COVID-19 update, to allow them to provide them most current information for their patients.
This program has received an educational grant or in-kind support from Moderna Biopharm Canada Inc.
