TWC celebrates 1M Covid vaccinations

Stephen Chan, SouthMelbourne

On the back of their ‘Retailer Awards’ win recently for their Vaccination Excellence Program, TerryWhite Chemmart (TWC) is celebrating a major vaccination milestone – delivering more than one million Covid-19 vaccinations to Australians. 

TWC Executive General Manager Nick Munroe says in the last three months alone, the network has provided more than 465,000 Covid-19 booster vaccinations. 

“The last few months – with the introduction of new Covid-19 variants combined with the addition of new Covid-19 booster options – have seen a surge in vaccination demand, which our vaccinating pharmacists have met head-on,” says Mr Munroe.

“It never ceases to amaze me the resilience, determination and compassionate care our pharmacy teams continue to show their communities.”

Winter is coming

With winter just around the corner and flu stock now arriving in pharmacies, TWC is gearing up for an influx of demand, which they hope will be made easier through the Covid-19/Flu co-administration service. 

“There has been a clear sense of urgency around getting the Covid-19 vaccination but let’s not be complacent around flu,” says Mr Munroe.

“We see this co-administration service as an opportunity to engage even more Australians to consider getting a flu vaccination at the same time they receive their booster.” 

Mr Munroe adds that research conducted by TWC in 2021, indicates that the complacency around flu vaccinations rested predominantly in the younger age bracket – a group he believes will benefit from a co-administration. 

“A quarter of all our Covid-19 vaccinations have been for people in that younger age bracket of 16-29 and we know from our research last year that close to 50% of Australians aged 18-49 did not get the flu vaccination last year,” says Mr Munroe.

“Therein lies an opportunity to increase flu vaccination uptake with younger people, by making it easier and more convenient for them, which includes our seamless booking system and supporting them through our professional, safe and efficient vaccination service.

“In the first year of Covid-19 in 2020, we delivered more than half a million flu vaccinations and have now delivered over one million Covid-19 vaccinations.

“We remain committed to driving vaccination uptake to keep our communities safe and help reduce the impact on our already-strained healthcare systems,” he says.