Keep Your Distance: How to Get a Prescription Filled During COVID-19
As summer draws to a close, many are bracing for a COVID-19 spike during the colder months. Whether this entails an additional quarantine or encouragement to spend more time at home, one thing is for certain: you must be prepared to gather necessities, which includes knowing how to get a prescription filled safely.
Here are some steps you can take to protect the health of those around you while filling your prescription during the pandemic.
How to Get a Prescription Filled Without Leaving Your Home
Order Online
If there’s a silver lining to the current times, it’s the fact that technology has helped overcome some of the struggles the pandemic has produced. This site allows you to order your prescription online and have it delivered right to your door. Because shipping may take a couple of weeks, it’s best to order your online prescription well before your medication runs out.
Use An App
Many big-name pharmacies like CVS have an app you can download to your smartphone that makes it easy to track prescriptions, set reminders about when to refill prescriptions, or answer any questions you might have about your prescription drugs, all while saving you a trip to the pharmacy.
Can You Pick Up a Prescription for Someone Else?
If you’re especially high-risk or feeling unwell, consider asking someone close to you to pick it up instead. That way, the likelihood of you getting sick or potentially getting anyone else sick is far less. Some pharmacies may ask you a few questions to verify that you know the person you’re picking up for, such as their date of birth or full name, but it shouldn’t be a problem if you’re close to them.
Minimize Your Need for the Pharmacy
Get a 90-day Supply
The more medication you have, the less often you’ll have to go to the pharmacy. Especially in these trying times, exploring a 90-day refill rather than a 30-day day can save you a trip and keep you safe. Double-check with your pharmacist and doctor to see if this could be a good option for you.
Take Advantage of Your Car
Drive-thru Prescription Pick Up
What was once a convenient way to obtain your prescription is now the safest way, too. Avoid pharmacy waiting rooms and limit your interactions with others by opting for the drive-thru.
Curbside Pick-up
If your local pharmacy doesn’t have a drive-thru, chances are they’re offering curbside pick-up. Simply call upon arrival and someone will deliver your prescription right to your car.
Do Your Part to Stay Safe
If you still have questions about how to get a prescription filled right now, give your local pharmacy a call. And, as we know now, you can’t plan for everything. In case you do need to make a trip outside your home to the pharmacy, follow local ordinances, wear a mask, and wash your hands often to protect not only yourself but those around you.