WASHINGTON — More than 9 in 10 pharmacists said they plan to or have been vaccinated against COVID-19, in a survey conducted last week by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). Of these, 51% said they had received one dose, 10% had received two doses, and 31% planned to get it as soon as it is available.

When asked about their readiness to administer the vaccine, 41% of pharmacists surveyed said they were already administering it, 38% said they would be able to administer it as soon as it is available, and 17% were preparing to administer the vaccinations and would participate in future phases of the vaccine delivery program.

The survey also found that 95% of respondents are comfortable addressing patients’ concerns about the vaccine, and 79% said staffing in their pharmacy practice is adequate to offer the vaccine.

This is the third survey of pharmacists that APhA has conducted about the COVID-19 vaccine since September 2020. In each successive survey, an increasing number of pharmacists said they planned to be immunized, manage the logistics of handling the vaccine, and would administer it to their patients.

“The rising rates of pharmacists’ confidence in the vaccine and their planned participation in vaccination activities demonstrates that pharmacists are ready, willing and able to protect Americans against the coronavirus,” said Scott J. Knoer, executive vice president and chief executive officer of APhA. “Approximately 400,000 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy interns have been trained for precisely this moment, and we’re ready to do the job.”

APhA conducted the survey of 570 pharmacists from January 9-16, 2021. The respondents work in a broad, diverse range of practice settings, with a majority of respondents practicing in community-based settings, and in every region of the nation. The margin of error for this survey is plus or minus 4.1% at the 95% confidence level.