Toronto, ON (August 31, 2022) — Ontario Pharmacists Association (OPA), a leading advocacy and professional development provider for pharmacy professionals, has launched Protecting the Population Against COVID-19, a new signature learning series aimed at pharmacy professionals. Playing a significant role in immunization administration and providing patient care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacy professionals have been at the forefront of efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. The series is a partnership with Moderna and equips pharmacy professionals with resources and tools to assist with the delivery of care in the next phase of COVID-19 protection.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of pharmacy professionals, they are key health care providers providing vaccine administration, education, and services to help keep communities safe,” said Jen Belcher, Vice-President of Strategic Initiatives & Member Relations at OPA. “We are excited to work with leaders in health care and provide professional development to help pharmacy professionals improve and protect the health of patients.”
As more COVID-19 medical developments arise and Canadians roll up their sleeves to receive booster doses, it’s critical that pharmacy professionals stay current on vaccine news and practices. Protecting the Population Against COVID-19 includes a webpage and three complimentary live webinars where pharmacy professionals can learn, engage and pose questions to expert physicians and pharmacists. The first webinar on September 8 will discuss COVID-19 boosters, breakthrough infections and how to answer patient questions. The following webinar on September 21 will cover COVID-19 vaccination in special and high-risk populations, and the final webinar on October 6 will discuss The CARD system for vaccine administration.
Pharmacy professionals have played a significant role in COVID-19 vaccination efforts and in protecting public health. To date Ontario pharmacy professionals have administered over 8.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and they are also able to dispense antiviral medication for patients who test positive for COVID-19. Furthermore, pharmacy teams have had to consider personal beliefs and challenges to address vaccine hesitancy and provide education while simultaneously providing day-to-day pharmacy services. As the pandemic evolves pharmacy teams continue to be a solution to assist with health needs. Protecting the Population Against COVID-19 helps pharmacy professionals to innovate, develop patient care processes, and further expand their knowledge and skills.
To learn more about Protecting the Population Against COVID-19 and register for the upcoming webinars visit, opatoday.com/covid19protection.
OPA extends our thanks to Moderna for supporting this signature learning series through an unrestricted medical grant. All content was developed by OPA.
ABOUT ONTARIO PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION
The Ontario Pharmacists Association (OPA) is committed to evolving the pharmacy profession and advocating for excellence in practice and patient care. With more than 10,000 members, OPA is Canada’s largest advocacy organization, professional development and drug information provider for pharmacy professionals across Ontario. By leveraging the unique expertise of pharmacy professionals, enabling them to practice to their fullest potential, and making them more accessible to patients, OPA is working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the healthcare system. The pharmacy sector plays a strong role in Ontario with an economic impact of more than $6.3 billion across 4,600 pharmacies, employing 60,000 Ontarians. For more information on OPA, visit opatoday.com.
ABOUT MODERNA
In 10 years since its inception, Moderna has transformed from a science research-stage company advancing programs in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA), to an enterprise with a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics across seven modalities, a broad intellectual property portfolio in areas including mRNA and lipid nanoparticle formulation, and an integrated manufacturing plant that allows for rapid clinical and commercial production at scale. Moderna maintains alliances with a broad range of domestic and overseas government and commercial collaborators, which has allowed for the pursuit of both ground-breaking science and rapid scaling of manufacturing. Most recently, Moderna’s capabilities have come together to allow the authorized use and approval of one of the earliest and most-effective vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moderna’s mRNA platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, and has allowed the development of therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and auto-immune diseases. Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past seven years. To learn more, visit www.modernatx.com.
