Patients who require a refill of their regular medications don’t need to visit to a doctor or nurse practitioner for a prescription.
Instead, a pharmacist can provide patients with a refill or emergency supply of their medications. This also includes controlled drugs and substances such as opioid agonist therapy.
The announcement was made today by the College of Pharmacists of BC, in the wake of COVID-19 crisis.
“This allows healthy British Columbians to practice safe social distancing while also freeing up medical professionals to treat more urgent patients,” the college said.
The college is asking people to not stockpile medications as this can affect drug supply and put others at risk.
The college recommends no more than a month’s supply, but suggests that patients speak to their pharmacist for recommendation.
The college also said that patients with compromised immune systems or who have an increased risk of more severe outcomes from COVID-19 may want to refill their prescriptions now so that they do not have to go to a pharmacy or clinic if they become sick.