LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Vaccine season is underway as respiratory illnesses like the flu, RSV, and COVID spread around right before the holidays.
Family gatherings are a big part of those celebrations and people want to get their vaccines beforehand. With more vaccines rolling out this year, there are more people that have been rolling up their sleeves.
Park West Pharmacy in Little Rock has been getting a lot of calls about the different vaccines.
“Asking what we have in stock and what we have available because, at this point, we're trying to keep less vaccines in stock because we're getting near the end of vaccine season,” said Pharmacist and Owner of Park West Pharmacy, Gwendolyn Herzig.
She said the vaccines start being shipped to them in September and during the two months that follow, business picks up— but even more so this year.
“This year is a little different because there's a lot more vaccines to the mix,” she added.
Over the last few years, there's been a focus on COVID boosters, but with several other vaccines approved and put on the market, there’s a lot more they have to keep in stock.
“Influenza, influenza high dose, the new RSV vaccine between the new shingles vaccine that's been out for at least a couple years at this point, the new pneumonia vaccine,” said Herzig.
She said it has been pretty demanding on pharmacies.
“A lot more like financial strain for the pharmacies too because they have to stock it,” said Herzig. “It was a lot of guessing game to order to figure out what we need to order in like how much we need to order in.”
Though they’ve kept up and are glad to be doing so.
“It allows us to get away from just the normal filling and dispensing allows us to actually have a little bit more hands-on with our patients,” she described.
Remember, you can get more than one vaccine on the same day.
If you want the vaccines before Thanksgiving or any other holiday gatherings Herzig recommends doing that as soon as possible because it takes about two weeks for the vaccines to take their full effect.