Pharmacy pressure mounts on Boris Johnson as Labour intervene – The Yorkshire Post says

It maintains that the nationwide network of high street pharmacies is “ready, willing and able” to assist with this national effort, the point that Hull East MP Karl Turner made very forcefully at Prime Minister’s Questions ahead of Sir Keir Starmer committing his own support, and that of Labour, last night.

But it’s not good enough for Boris Johnson to indicate an intention to “ramp up” the 200 pharmacies currently involved in the rollout – a far more specific response is required after he, himself, admitted that local chemists have a vital role to play in vaccinating people in “harder to reach” areas.

After all, this is not a time for indecision or hesitation. And while the country is respectful of the political challenges, it can only be described as ‘nationwide’ when it has demonstrated that it is reaching elderly, vulnerable and priority patients in all parts of the country, including those rural areas where pharmacies or the hitherto promised but unseen mobile units will play a vital role.

This can’t be left to a postcode lottery. As for the PM’s contention that he does not want vaccines to go to waste, it is small, community-focused high street chemists who are best placed to build a schedule because they know their customers far better than the new super centres which will order thousands of doses in the hope that sufficient people turn up.

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