The prime minister Boris Johnson has thanked ‘wonderful’ pharmacists for the ‘important’ work they have been doing amid the coronavirus outbreak.

In a video message posted on Twitter on Sunday (29 March), Mr Johnson singled out pharmacists for all their recent efforts during the nations battle against Covid-19, in not only in ‘dispensing medicines’, but also providing ‘reassurance to the customers they interact with’.

The gesture was met with mixed reactions on Twitter by community pharmacists.

The prime minister thanked everyone in the NHS, as well as people who are staying at home. The video message was sent by Mr Johnson from his own home, after announcing on Friday that he had contracted the virus.

Similarly, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock gave ‘a great big thank you to all pharmacists, and everyone working in pharmacies, for the work that you're doing on the frontline’, via a video message he also posted on Twitter on Saturday (28 March).

This follows his previous tribute to pharmacists made at a press conference on Tuesday, in which he thanked ‘those who don't usually get mentioned, including pharmacists’ for their work in the ‘war’ against coronavirus.

He promised to ‘strain every sinew’ to ensure all frontline staff had everything needed to keep themselves safe from the virus.

Since, the PDA has called on Matt Hancock to ensure PPE is made available to community pharmacies, as many staff across the country feel ‘abandoned’ while having little to no access to protective gear.

Matt Hancock has tested positive for coronavirus after showing mild symptoms and will remain in isolation until Thursday.