Health

Hinterland pharmacies’ two weeks of madness

Photo: Alan Lander

L to R: Sarah, Jacquie, Fran, Matt, Shauna and Amy at Cooroy LiveLife Pharmacy

FOR Noosa hinterland towns, the first two weeks of January 2022 were a time of panic and stress – and right on the front line were pharmacies.

The owner of Cooroy and Pomona LiveLife pharmacies for the last six years, Jacquie Meyer, and her near-30 staff will not forget it.

“The last two years has been the biggest change for the whole industry in a long time,” she said of the COVID pandemic.

But it wasn’t until January this year the real pressure began.

“Announcements came very quickly, made before supply lines were in place,” Jacquie said.

“It put pressure on pharmacies as they are often the first place for people to go to get advice and help. It was very stressful to deal with the constant level of stress and panic in the community.”

Advice was arriving right, left and centre on vaccinations, rapid antigen tests (RATs), reduced waiting periods for booster shots and jabs for younger children – all at the same time, Jacquie said.

But reliable information wasn’t always available in supply or advice.

“Customers were coming for advice - we were getting hundreds of calls per day – we could hear panic in the community,” she said.

“We would not have the right information to give to people, or provide RATs in a timely way.

“We were trying to do our best, but the situation was getting out of control and supply channels were not there.”

Jacquie said the staff took the brunt of it, with calls, emails, and constant queries.

“We were dealing with a large number, with an age range across the board,” she said.

“People had concern for children, themselves, elderly parents, employers concerned for their staff – and young children, that was different again.”

Infection numbers are now dropping, Jacquie said.

“The peak has passed, and Queensland is on the right side of the curve, especially in the local region where we had massive amounts - it spread very quickly.

“Many families were isolating, and we were making a lot of deliveries – far more than usual.

“We felt a heightened level of responsibility, to communicate the need to do the right thing.

“But there are not many in isolation now - the community has done the right thing,” she said, although she noted a small number who had tested positive yet were still seen in and around the community.

“The focus now is for staff to take welldeserved breaks, catch up on downtime.

“We need to recognise the hardship for the extra work they have put in – and I’d like to thank the community for supporting us and understanding the pressures.”

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