From CBS Atlanta
DECATUR, Ga. -- Pharmacists around metro
Atlanta said on Wednesday that are doing what they can to prepare for a
possible outbreak of swine flu in Georgia, but they admit that at the
moment, it's not much.They said they're in standby mode, waiting for some direction from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
At the Medicine Shoppe in downtown Decatur, pharmacist Ramiro Cepero says the store has gotten a few calls about surgical masks."The ones I've bought have sold out,” Cepero said.When he first heard about the swine flu outbreak, he ordered some Tamiflu, the antiviral drug used to treat the flu after a person is diagnosed with it."One of the wholesalers had some in stock, so I was able to get some. The other wholesaler did not have them in stock, so that to me was a little bit of a concern,” Cepero said.But he says he's comforted by the fact that Georgia would have access to the national stockpile of treatments if people here come down with the swine flu.
Around the corner at McKinney's drug store, pharmacist Doug Taunton is concerned about the new Georgia law that would allow pharamcists to give flu shots in the event the governor declares a pandemic state of emergency.Taunton said he'd be hesitant to give a stranger a shot, not knowing their medical background.But, he said it's a moot point right now, since there is no vaccine for the swine flu."We don't have a vaccine at all. We're not even sure that the oral antivirals that we have are that effective. We're sort of in the dark as much as the general public," Taunton said.The CDC has said that it’s working on that vaccine.
It would probably be wise to buy a cheap mask, as they will disappear rapidly if and when a case is confirmed in the area.
UPDATE: A lady in Lagrange has a confirmed case.
