A study carried out by the University of Waterloo, with assistance from Laurentian University, has identified areas of Northern Ontario and rural Ontario that are "vaccination deserts" because such areas have poor access to pharmacy vaccination sites for COVID-19 vaccines or the flu shot.
The research was carried out by Waterloo's School of Pharmacy and compiled Statistics Canada data to determine where pharmacists are working in relation to where some Ontarians live. The study said many areas have little to no access to pharmacies that provide the vaccines.
The researchers found that most community pharmacists authorized to administer injections work in the urban regions of southern Ontario, confirming a large geographic discrepancy.
Dr. Sherilyn Houle, a professor at Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy co-authored the study.
“Our biggest realization is that there are many communities that do not have local access to a pharmacy at all,” said Dr. Houle.
“While medication can be delivered remotely and virtual care can be used for offsite counseling, access to vaccinations will need a more innovative approach," she added.
As community pharmacies are becoming the preferred locations for administering vaccinations, the ability for people in northern communities and rural areas to access pharmacies continues to be difficult, said a news release from the university.
“Reaching these communities of individuals will require innovative ideas, including mobile vaccination clinics and additional training for pharmacists located in these areas,” Houle added.
“We have to recognize where the gaps remain and plan accordingly to bring seasonal services to provide for hard-to-reach communities and hopefully encourage practicing pharmacists in those areas to become trained in vaccination, if they haven’t already,” Houle said.
There is an additional limitation for primarily French-speaking populations in Ontario. In areas where at least 25 per cent of the population speaks French, there are not enough French-speaking pharmacists to service those areas.
Infographics and maps provided in the study showed that the Public Health Sudbury and Districts jurisdiction was well-served by pharmacists in the urban areas, but also showed a large rural area where there is little access to pharmacists.
PHSD publishes regular updates on its website on where to go for COVID vaccines and flu shots. This includes PHSD office sites, community centres, retail venues as well as deployments of the PHSD vaccine bus.
The study concluded that regardless that most pharmacists are trained to provide injections, not enough Ontario pharmacists live or work in remote areas.
"These analyses demonstrate that despite the fact that nearly three-quarters of Ontario’s community pharmacists are authorized to administer vaccinations, public access to this important service is a function of where an individual lives. Considerations such as Northern vs. Southern Ontario residence, urban or rural community characteristic, population density, and geographic area of one’s Public Health Unit can influence the true accessibility of this service," said the study.
The research for the study involved the University of Waterloo, input from Laurentian University and confidential data-sharing agreements with the Ontario College of Pharmacists.
