To fight vaccine hesitancy, use community pharmacies.
As Africa gears up for one of the most extensive vaccination programs in human history, there is already data that shows many people are not keen to get vaccinated. A survey conducted by the Africa CDC and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine showed that 18% of respondents believe vaccines are not safe, and 25% believe the Covid-19 vaccine will not be safe. I think these numbers are higher based on personal conversations. The survey also found that people in urban areas are more likely to be sceptical about the Covid-19 vaccines than those in rural areas. This worrying because the majority of cases have been in urban areas and major cities across Africa. Due to perceptions of corruption and fraudulent behaviours, trust in African governments are at an all-time low. Government officials will not be the best ambassadors to promote vaccine use in Africa. The best ambassadors will be our local community pharmacists. Countries like the USA and UK are already showing success in using community pharmacies as vaccination centres.
Last year, we launched a small pilot to test the idea of using pharmacies as vaccination centres for Hepatitis B. The pilot pharmacy was located close to a community market, so it was an ideal location to engage people from different socio-economic backgrounds. We partnered with a local radio station to host an educational session on Hepatitis B. We directed listeners to a phone number they could call to speak to the local pharmacist. 250 people called. Over 100 of them visited the pharmacy to get tested for free. Those that tested negative were called later and offered the Hep B vaccine. We had nine people (4 males and five females) pay to get the vaccine. We had more people who wanted to get the vaccine but could not afford to pay for it. We offered each customer a vaccination card which was an instant hit as they loved showing people they had received the vaccine.
Most people liked that they could walk into the pharmacy at any time to get tested and vaccinated. They did not feel the same way about going to the hospital due to the long wait times and the hospital’s image as a place “sick” people go. The local pharmacist is the most visited healthcare worker in the community, so there is a high level of trust between them and their customers. Pharmacies will be more ideal locations for vaccinations because they can relieve pressure on hospitals/clinics that are already overwhelmed from treating sick people. People who are afraid of contracting the virus at hospitals will be more comfortable getting the vaccine at their local pharmacy. More importantly, governments would not have to spend money to build new infrastructure.
We are excited to continue to play a vital role in addressing vaccine scepticism. We will host over 100 community wellness days across our network of partner pharmacies this year. Tens of thousands of people attend these wellness days each year. We plan to start a Covid-19 vaccine education program during these wellness days in all our pharmacies.
I also hope that African governments will reach out to local pharmacies and transform them into vaccination sites. We stand prepared to support any government that wants to do this.