JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As more people become eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, Walgreen’s is ready to help step up its vaccination program, the company’s chief medical officer Dr. Kevin Ban told The Morning Show.
Ban said he knows access to credible information has been a major issue for some, and he thinks pharmacists in the community can be a key factor to combat misinformation.
“This is a good time to go into the store and have a conversation with them across the desk to get more information,” Ban said.
Ban acknowledged that vaccine hesitancy is continuing among some groups and said it’s a complicated issue.
“For some people, it might be mistrust in the system. For others, they like to understand better how were these vaccines developed and then approved. A third person may say, ‘Hey, will this impact my cancer chemotherapy that I’m going on?’ The important thing is to meet people where they are, understand what information they need, and I think that’s the power of a pharmacist in community,” Ban said. “You can actually talk to someone. You can let them know what you’re curious about, what you’re concerned about, and then they can help give good information.”
For more from Ban’s interview discussing Walgreen’s vaccine program, watch the video above.