ISMP has reported multiple mix-ups between the flu vaccine and COVID-19 vaccines since the former became available in September. All the mishaps happened in community and ambulatory care pharmacies, according to ISMP.

September 9, 2021, was a busy day for the federal government and pharmacy stakeholders alike: Just a few hours apart, we saw significant developments in pharmacists’ COVID-19 pandemic practice authorities and prescription drug pricing. Both items yielded positive news for pharmacists and their patients.

Influenza cases and deaths in the United States and worldwide dropped to unprecedented lows between October 3, 2020, and July 24, 2021, according to CDC data. In a typical season, 75 to 150 children die of influenza in the United States, noted pediatric infectious disease specialist Paul Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, in a recent JAMA Network article. Last influenza season, he said, one child was reported to have died.

Among the many collateral effects of COVID-19, the pandemic has exacerbated the mental health crisis in the United States. For some, the global shutdown interrupted ongoing mental health care. For others, the stress and isolation triggered new mental health issues.