With mounting concern over the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 now circulating in South Africa, it is more important than ever to limit opportunities for the virus to spread while ensuring other health conditions remain well controlled. 

“In light of the new information emerging about the Delta variant, which the World Health Organization has described as the most highly transmissible form of the SARS-CoV-2 virus identified to date, we need to work together to urgently reduce chances for the virus to spread to flatten the third wave,” says pharmacist Joy Steenkamp, of Medipost Pharmacy, South Africa’s largest national courier pharmacy. 

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the Delta variant first identified in India is now confirmed to be circulating in South Africa. It is believed to be 97% more transmissible than the original strain of COVID-19, meaning it can spread much more easily between people. 

“It is important to remember that even people who have already been vaccinated can get COVID-19 and pass it on to others – even though they may not experience symptoms and it appears they are much less likely to become as severely ill. It is therefore essential that we all continue to follow the recommended prevention measures, including self-isolating for 10 days if you have had contact with a person who has COVID-19 and avoiding any unnecessary interactions,” Steenkamp says.

Since the start of the pandemic, Medipost Pharmacy’s convenient free medicine delivery service has been crucial for keeping hundreds of thousands of people’s chronic treatment on track without the need for them to visit a pharmacy in person. 

“For medication to work best, it must be as simple as possible for patients to adhere to their prescribed treatment, and they should have the opportunity to raise any questions with a registered pharmacy professional in a language they fully understand,” adds Rentia Myburgh, group sales and marketing director of Medipost Holdings. 

“People who have their medicine dispensed and delivered, safely and reliably, by Medipost Pharmacy have access to pharmacy advice in any of South Africa’s official languages over the phone, offering personal attention in their mother tongue in an optimally safe, socially distanced manner,” she says.

“This aspect of our pharmacy service complements the telehealth consultations many doctors and specialists now offer, with a wider range of monthly prescribed medicines now available for affordable and convenient home delivery. As always, patient privacy is paramount so there is no indication on the outer packaging of what the medicine parcels contain, and confidentiality is guaranteed,” Myburgh says. 

Saving time and money, Medipost Pharmacy’s dispensing fees are considerably below the market average, and customers are not billed for the administrative or courier delivery aspects of the chronic medication service. An additional benefit for medical scheme members is that the pharmacy ensures their medicines are claimed from the appropriate benefit category to conserve benefits and savings, where applicable. 

“For people who are self-isolating by necessity, as well as anyone who is cautious about visiting public places, there is no need to go to the pharmacy when the pharmacy can come to you,” Myburgh concludes. With mounting concern over the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 now circulating in South Africa, it is more important than ever to limit opportunities for the virus to spread while ensuring other health conditions remain well controlled. 

“In light of the new information emerging about the Delta variant, which the World Health Organization has described as the most highly transmissible form of the SARS-CoV-2 virus identified to date, we need to work together to urgently reduce chances for the virus to spread to flatten the third wave,” says pharmacist Joy Steenkamp, of Medipost Pharmacy, South Africa’s largest national courier pharmacy. 

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the Delta variant first identified in India is now confirmed to be circulating in South Africa. It is believed to be 97% more transmissible than the original strain of COVID-19, meaning it can spread much more easily between people. 

“It is important to remember that even people who have already been vaccinated can get COVID-19 and pass it on to others – even though they may not experience symptoms and it appears they are much less likely to become as severely ill. It is therefore essential that we all continue to follow the recommended prevention measures, including self-isolating for 10 days if you have had contact with a person who has COVID-19 and avoiding any unnecessary interactions,” Steenkamp says.

Since the start of the pandemic, Medipost Pharmacy’s convenient free medicine delivery service has been crucial for keeping hundreds of thousands of people’s chronic treatment on track without the need for them to visit a pharmacy in person. 

“For medication to work best, it must be as simple as possible for patients to adhere to their prescribed treatment, and they should have the opportunity to raise any questions with a registered pharmacy professional in a language they fully understand,” adds Rentia Myburgh, group sales and marketing director of Medipost Holdings. 

“People who have their medicine dispensed and delivered, safely and reliably, by Medipost Pharmacy have access to pharmacy advice in any of South Africa’s official languages over the phone, offering personal attention in their mother tongue in an optimally safe, socially distanced manner,” she says.

“This aspect of our pharmacy service complements the telehealth consultations many doctors and specialists now offer, with a wider range of monthly prescribed medicines now available for affordable and convenient home delivery. As always, patient privacy is paramount so there is no indication on the outer packaging of what the medicine parcels contain, and confidentiality is guaranteed,” Myburgh says. 

Saving time and money, Medipost Pharmacy’s dispensing fees are considerably below the market average, and customers are not billed for the administrative or courier delivery aspects of the chronic medication service. An additional benefit for medical scheme members is that the pharmacy ensures their medicines are claimed from the appropriate benefit category to conserve benefits and savings, where applicable. 

“For people who are self-isolating by necessity, as well as anyone who is cautious about visiting public places, there is no need to go to the pharmacy when the pharmacy can come to you,” Myburgh concludes.