Pharmacists using the Pharmacy Guild of Australia system will be reimbursed every night, but pharmacists using the MedAdvisor system will not receive payment until 10 July.
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Leichhardt pharmacist Christine Kelly said she had spent $ 10,000 to order an additional 1,000 vaccines before a projected increase in demand, for which she would have to wait six weeks to recoup costs.
While he hoped to be able to offer free flu shots, he said waiting for the refund would be “quite a hassle” for his small business.
MedAdvisor CEO Rob Read said he needed to use his existing monthly payment schedule to “meet the program’s set deadlines.” Ninety per cent of its vaccination pharmacies in NSW have signed up to give free vaccinations.
“It’s been a quick change, and like any policy that has been implemented quickly, it will come with warts,” said David Heffernan, president of the NSW branch of the Australian Pharmacy Guild, about free flu shots. .
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Heffernan agreed that it would always be a “patchwork”, with ongoing discussions on how to manage in border areas: Victoria and Queensland each offer their own reimbursement program and whether people without Medicare cards are now eligible. .
More than 21,000 flu infections were reported in NSW in May, more than the total number of reported infections in the first five months of 2019.
Part of the increase is due to more widespread testing, with COVID-19 PCR testing now also yielding results for the common RSV flu and childhood infection. However, the increase in hospitalizations for flu-like illnesses suggests that the flu season is in full swing.
Infections and high levels of COVID-19 transmission (there were more than 300,000 cases in NSW during May) have continued to plague Sydney emergency departments this week.
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There were 33 children waiting for care in an emergency after being assessed by a triage nurse at Westmead Children’s Hospital at 5.30pm on Monday. At 10pm, 28 children were waiting in Westmead and 24 at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick.
“Like all NSW emergency departments, Sydney’s network of children’s hospitals has seen a significant increase in people with flu-like symptoms in their emergency departments,” said a spokesman for children’s hospitals. “Children are prioritized according to the clinical urgency, the sickest children are always seen first. Our staff is doing its best to see all the children as soon as possible. “
Sutherland Hospital in the south of the city on Monday declared a “yellow code” that allowed staff from other parts of the hospital to be sent to the emergency department for help.
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