Covid-19: Pharmacist Responsibilities
In December 2019, a strange respiratory disease started to spread in China, which was termed as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and commonly known as Corona Virus or COVD-19. It has now become a global pandemic. General symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, and sore throat. The severity of infection leads to severe breathing problems and, ultimately, death.
“About 2.72 million people have been infected so far, among whom 746,000 have recovered, and 1,91,000 have become prey to this deadly virus.”
It has been suggested that people with diabetes or asthma are more likely at risk than healthy people.
Role of Pharmacists
Pharmacists play a crucial and essential role in the health care group regarding the treatment of infected patients during this spread of COVID-19. Different pharmacists are currently carrying out experimentation on this virus to find the most effective, safest, and controllable therapy for it. They are involved in investigations relating to drug studies in health care systems and also in technical laboratories to find a vaccine for COVID-19.
Patients are being tested, provided their detailed clinical records, and, on their consent, as well as after taking approval from the health care department of the state. After testing, there is continuous monitoring of the patients. Drug accessibility and proper medication are thoroughly provided to progress with the treatment.
Responsibilities of Pharmacists
One of the critical responsibilities of pharmacists is to assure the accessibility and supply of useful and timely medical care. This role involves planning, determining, and eradicating drug deficiency during the pandemic. The drug shortages lead to minimal medical aid. Due to narrowed product supply during the lockdown in an epidemic, drug deficiency undoubtedly occurs.
Therefore, pharmacists are working actively, and they are finding appropriate alternatives, implementing schemes on how to overcome the shortage in medicine and medical equipment required. Pharmacists are placing those people in priority who are have more chances of recovery so that the lack of drugs must be more beneficial. The shortage also occurs due to an increase in demand for the product.
Role of Educational Institutions
Besides taking online classes for students, educational institutions do have a role to play during this global pandemic. They have this real opportunity to educate hundreds of thousands of families through online workshops, seminars, training, and conferences.
Not only can they inform people about the severity of this illness, but also, they can provide people with the proper knowledge about how to fight this pandemic. Educational institutes have shifted to online classes for educating their students. Still, they need to focus on the society on how to educate and provide precautionary measures to overcome his virus.
Make a Schedule for Remote Learning
First of all, all the educational institutes need to make a schedule for remote learning. The message conveyed by the World Health Organization (WHO) must be transmitted to the people properly, and it is only possible if educational institutions join hand in hand to educate their nation through remote learning.
Almost all health-related diseases overcome by maintaining proper hand hygiene, which is defined as cleaning one’s hands by adequate procedure and at the right times. The use of soaps, sanitizers, and masks for ordinary people must be made mandatory, and guidance on their method of use must be appropriately mentioned through remote learning platforms, i.e., Televisions, mobile applications, etc.
Safety measures
Institutes should be able to help local authorities by their own means by creating protective equipment.
- Institutes should work on developing ventilators using the technical knowledge
- Chemical and pharmacy faculties ought to work on developing efficient hand sanitizers
- Laboratories can help student make surgical gloves
- It is easier to make face mask using a durable and tight woven fabric
- Students with textile background can work on creating sanitizing wipes
Use of Communication Media
Secondly, it must be publicly informed using the communication media of the institute to exercise the hierarchy of control for coronavirus spread. The first and foremost control is to isolate yourself from all the people around you. If not, remote means of working must be like the internet, mobile phones, etc.
It is also best to wash hands after consecutive intervals with soap and maintain social distance. It is essential to wear a mask while going outside.
Generation of Funds
Educational institutions must generate funds through online platforms to help people who are at a pause from their jobs and need financial support or if they have lost their jobs.
These funds can be transferred to the government account, and from it must be allocated to worthy families to live their hard times. It can be quickly done when the faculties, alumni, and students participate in assisting with the online surveys and fund-gathering.
Responsibilities of Educational Institutions
Coronavirus has spread exponentially over the last few months, and hospitals are full of patients. Here comes the responsibility of the educational institutions. They must take part in fighting this issue with our health care system by providing quarantine centers.
As students have been given vacations to reduce the spread of the virus, it has created an enormous residential capacity with all the technological and welfare facilities. These institutions can serve as a stress-relieving platform for hospitals due to the deadly outbreak of COVID-19.
Use of Institutions as Quarantine Buildings
Educational Institutes need to get trained medical experts from their organization and engage them in carrying out operational duties to set up a proper quarantine place during the spread. All the lecture halls, classrooms, and labs can be made as self-quarantine sections comprising of single rooms as well as multiple bedrooms.
The medical centers and hospitals soon will face a deficiency in breathing apparatuses and personal protective equipment. The research laboratories of the educational institutes can serve the purpose here by making supplemental equipment.
The open areas of the institutes are best as field hospitals where the incoming patients will be checked and reported. It will highly pose an impact on decreasing the spread as well as the mortality rate. It can also provide people to take self-quarantine rooms here at the educational institutes whose families are vulnerable or quite large in number.
Conclusion
It is urgent to keep the infected person away from their home after the diagnosis that the risk of spread can overcome. It is the moral duty of the institutions to help out the society by connecting the local authorities to make plans for the future.