In Praise of Pharmacy Technicians

The unsung heroes of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are pharmacy technicians. Before the pandemic, techs were key members of pharmacy teams, handling many tasks that strengthened pharmacies and freed up time for pharmacists. But since the virus infected millions and resulted in the shutdown of businesses and schools a year ago, techs have become invaluable.

In October 2020, the US Department of Health and Human Services authorized techs and pharmacy interns to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. Since then, thousands have done so, helping patients in the herculean effort to achieve nationwide herd immunity.

This month, Pharmacy Times® produced a COVID-19 and techs supplement, which is chock full of helpful advice and information about the new and important roles techs play as a result of the pandemic.

PharmacyTimes.com also offers continuing coverage in its tech-specific resource center in partnership with the National Healthcareer Association. Check it out to see the articles and videos that are posted each day (https://www.pharmacytimes.com/clinical-role/ pharmacy-technician?page=2).

In addition, in every issue of Pharmacy Times®, the Technician Focus article continues to offer information and news about concerns and trends that help techs perform their jobs to the top of their licenses. In this issue’s installment, we share 5 ways technology is quickly revolutionizing the day-to-day role of techs
and pharmacists.

Also in this issue, Editor-in-Chief Troy Trygstad, PharmD, PhD, MBA, partners with L. Allen Dobson Jr, MD, FAAFP, the editor-in-chief of sister publication Medical Economics® to argue in the Editor’s Note that pharmacy
and primary care are underallocated with COVID-19 doses compared with influenza efforts. They contend that the nation needs to activate pharmacies to vaccinate the entire US population in 2 months.

Finally, spring has sprung, and with it, allergy season. In the cover feature, Kathleen Kenny, PharmD, RPh, asks what allergies cause asthma and offers advice for pharmacists to help patients identify triggers and manage the uncomfortable symptoms. In the companion OTC Focus article, Yvette C. Terrie, BSPharm, RPh, discusses nonprescription allergy treatments, including COVID-19 masks.

Happy spring, and we extend our gratitude to pharmacy professionals for their incredible efforts in fighting the pandemic in addition to all they normally do to help patients and communities.

Thanks for reading!