The fight to stop the spread of the flu, COVID-19 and other viruses this winter has received a shot in the arm after graduate pharmacists joined Victoria's vaccination workforce.
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Pharmacists with provisional registration must undergo at least 15 hours of specialist training before they can administer jabs under supervision from experienced pharmacist immunisers.
Intern pharmacists were temporarily recruited to give vaccines in 2022 but can now join the workforce permanently.
More than one million doses of the influenza vaccine have been given in Victoria since the beginning of autumn.
Just over one in five shots were administered by a pharmacist, two thirds given by general practitioners and the rest by other health providers, federal health department data shows.
The number of vaccine doses administered in Victoria has increased in recent years and is on track to continue rising, Monash University's pharmacy and pharmaceutical science faculty dean Arthur Christopoulos said.
That's due to the introduction of jabs to protect against COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus, known as RSV, on top of the flu vaccine.
"It's important Victoria is prepared to protect our communities, and community pharmacies are extremely well placed to provide this vital service," Professor Christopoulos said.
The first cohort of 47 intern pharmacist immunisers who completed the university's training program have started giving jabs in recent weeks and others are encouraged to join the next lot of training.
The university is prepared to train another 300 intern pharmacists next year.
There's been almost 7800 confirmed cases of influenza in Victoria this year, about 1500 more than this time last year.
Some 7500 cases of RSV have also been recorded and about 14,400 cases of COVID-19 confirmed, although that does not include positive cases from rapid antigen tests.
Victoria's chief health officer Clare Looker has urged those at a higher risk of getting respiratory viruses to roll up their sleeves or arrange for children to get vaccinated, as those under five are particularly vulnerable.
Anyone considered to be higher risk can get vaccinated against the flu for free, including young children, pregnant women, people over 65 and those with certain medical conditions.
Australian Associated Press
