A pharmacist can do an assessment to determine if your sore throat is caused by a virus or a bacterial infection such as strep throat. Symptoms of strep throat may include all or some of the following:

• Painful Swallowing
• Red and swollen tonsils
• White patches or streaks and fever

The pharmacist will ask questions about medical history, signs and symptoms that the patient is experiencing and perform a head, neck and throat exam.  If the patient has signs of strep throat confirmed by the exam, the pharmacist will also take a swab of the back of the throat and perform a test in the pharmacy which will take approximately 10 minutes.   If positive, the pharmacist may prescribe antibiotics to prevent complications of Group A Strep .

If patient does not meet the criteria for a test or if the results are negative, patients will be given recommendations on pain management, signs/symptoms to monitor, follow up details or instructions on when to see another health care provider if necessary.

Community Pharmacies Currently Offering This Service at No Fee:

All Community Pharmacy Primary Care Clinic Location + the Following Community Pharmacies