Dear Editor:
Pharmacists are grappling with their response to COVID-19, and tirelessly working on our behalf putting themselves at risk of infection. Your local pharmacist needs your help to help protect them and yourself. Here are some ideas:
- Take advantage of home delivery services.
- Use the drive-thru or curbside pickup service.
- If you are at an elevated risk of infection or have symptoms, have someone else pick up your prescriptions for you.
Purdue University’s Center for Health Equity & Innovation has developed a resource to identify prescription pick-up options that are available. This resource is available at indianapharmacists.org/covid-19-resources.
Finally, be wary of purchasing medication online. Criminals are exploiting fear and confusion for profit by selling fake preventions, treatments and alleged cures online. At best, these fake products are ineffective; at worst, they are deadly.
According to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, a survey of over 2,000 online pharmacies revealed that 98 percent of them were illegitimate. There are safe pharmacies online, but make sure to use NABP to verify the pharmacy first at safe.pharmacy/buy-safely.
Pharmacists stand ready to continue serving patients, so let’s do our part to protect them.
Darren R. Covington
Executive Vice President
Indiana Pharmacists Association