COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:02): Supplementary question: would you consider giving our local pharmacists the option of immunising the community with Pfizer doses?

The PRESIDENT: I am not sure that that arose at all from the answer. Minister, do you wish to briefly address that?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:02): Yes I will. My understanding is that currently pharmacists only have access to AstraZeneca and to Moderna. I am not clear whether there is an intention to roll Pfizer out. Having said that, I think it is really important to appreciate that Moderna is also a very highly regarded vaccine. Again, I do not want to stray too far from my limited parliamentarian's knowledge—I am a politician not a clinician—but my understanding is Moderna is of the same family of vaccines as Pfizer. They are both mRNA vaccines—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —and apparently the opposition has lost interest already.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: They cannot maintain a concentration span anything slightly wider than a mosquito.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I would like to apologise to the Hon. Tung Ngo. At least he has managed to ask a more sensible question than his leader has been able to for the whole session.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, order! I am going to move on.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The Hon. Tung Ngo wants an answer to the question.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! I cannot hear.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: It is time to move on.

The PRESIDENT: Leader, you are out of order. Minister, I am sure you are going to conclude your answer because we need to move on.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I certainly am very keen to give the Hon. Tung Ngo an answer to a sensible question. I certainly agree with the Hon. Tung Ngo that not only will pharmacists continue to be important in terms of the rollout of the vaccine in the community, but I think they could have a very valuable role in outreach services. I was delighted to be able to discuss exactly that opportunity with the head of the Pharmacy Guild earlier this week.