Although some pharmacists reported a slight downward trend in requests for immune-boosting supplements when compared to last year, they are of the belief that Jamaicans have become more health conscious amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Denecia Green, pharmacist at Different Original Resourceful Pharmacy in Spanish Town, St Catherine, told the Jamaica Observer that more people were requesting immune-boosting supplements last year as the island faced the initial impact of COVID-19.

“Once we hear something [is about to happen] we start to stock up. Vitamin C was going as everybody was stocking up,” said Green.

She pointed out that while people are now still requesting vitamin C, the dietary supplement zinc sulfate, calcium, magnesium and iron, it is “not a ‘stock up’ business like before, when even people who didn’t even take vitamins are taking them. People who come in now are people who normally buy their vitamins or just want to improve their general well-being”.

According to immediate past president of Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica (PSJ), Dr Ernestine Watson, patients have adopted a practice of regularly purchasing supplements.

“Not only that, but persons are taking a lot more care. A lot more persons are routinely wearing their masks, taking the supplements and living healthier,” said Watson.

“Even though I am not seeing as many persons coming now when compared to last year when people were stocking up, we are selling a lot of vitamins,” Watson added.

Another pharmacist, Shauna Francis at New Knutsford Pharmacy, agreed that there is not a high demand for supplements as was seen last year.

“We couldn’t keep vitamin C on the shelves or anything else that would boost the immune system. More people started to take their multivitamins. You would have people who come in a few times to buy them when they feel tired but I’m seeing now that people are buying it more as maintenance because they realised that it is important to have a healthy immune system at this time,” said Francis.

In the meantime, Keisha Richards, pharmacist at Accuspeed Pharmacy in St Mary, pointed out that she has seen an upward trend in requests for antihistamines and immune-boosting supplements as opposed to last year’s sales.

“They are requesting both. I was checking on my sales since last year compared to this year and for the two most used antihistamines — DPH and Histal — there was almost 100 per cent increase,” she said.

“Last year it was the panic buying but this time, they are telling you that they are buying because they are going to get the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, especially the elderly,” added Richards.