Testing in pharmacies, that is a series of errors

Private laboratories have repeatedly asked the minister of health to enable the performance of antigen tests - the minister of health did not consent to this. Why would pharmacists correct mistakes and omissions made by the government.

According to the data of the Ministry of Health, as of February 2, tests are performed in only about one hundred pharmacies. Moreover, the number of tests performed is negligible as they are performed within a very limited time band or after the pharmacy's working hours.

First mistake: at the press conference on January 21, the Prime Minister announced: "from January 27, there will be free antigen tests in every pharmacy". It was clearly misleading the public opinion, because it is only possible to perform the test (smear test) in a handful of pharmacies.

The second mistake: the express introduction of a new service in pharmacies, in just 6 days, without proper preparation, was a big surprise for pharmacists.

Third mistake: after watching a short video, pharmacists receive a certificate of participation in the training "Correct nasal and throat swab collection for SARS-CoV-2 virus testing - mandatory training for pharmacists." The video is inappropriate as the swab must be taken from the nasopharynx. If the swab is not taken correctly, testing is unreliable as the results can be false negative in most cases. It is possible to be infected, but the test will not show it, and it infects others. It is extremely irresponsible to call a bad video training, and therefore those who lead to it should face severe consequences.

Fourth mistake: some pharmacists posted pictures on Twitter of taking swabs. Unfortunately, they disgraced themselves because they used inappropriate personal protective equipment, which means that they do not know what the principle of absolute compliance with the sanitary regime is when collecting infectious biological material.

Cardinal error: on February 3, the Minister of Health issued a message in which he stated, inter alia, "Currently, every public pharmacy has an administrative and training room, and thus - from the point of view of local requirements for antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 - any interested pharmacy could do it in this room. "
Occupational exposure is the exposure of an employee to the effects of hazardous and harmful factors while performing professional duties. Rather, the minister of health should take measures that reduce, rather than increase, the exposure of pharmacists to serious epidemic threats.
Introducing testing into pharmacies is a cardinal mistake, as pharmacists, as a rule, should handle drugs and not swabs.

MSc farm. Walenty Zajdel