A Yarrawonga pharmacy has temporarily paused part of its operations due to COVID-19 staff shortages.
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Terry White Chemist has closed its Woods Road pharmacy and directed all customers to its bigger shop on Belmore Street, after two pharmacists were required to isolate.
It's not the first business to feel the impacts of furloughed staff this month, the Bended Elbow, Zed Bar, Coles and Woolworths have also been hit by COVID staff shortages, as has Bright Brewery.
Pharmacist Cameron Wood said they had to close the Woods Road store so there would be enough pharmacists to keep the Belmore Street shop running.
"Especially this time of year we're already under the pump so to lose two pharmacists and we've lost a few floor staff as well, it's made things very hectic, everyone is stressed and tired," he said.
"[At Belmore Street] we've stayed open, we're just shutting an hour earlier at night to let us clean and catch up on other work.
"But it's difficult because a lot of people use [the Woods Road] medical clinic pharmacy so they don't have to come down the main street and now they have to."
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Mr Wood said he had just returned to work after catching COVID himself.
"There was a huge spike just after Christmas, one of the pubs on Christmas Eve was a basically a big super spreader event and it basically just took off from there," he said.
"I know quite a few people who have it or who have had it, we're doing lots of deliveries every day for people who can't leave home, it's really taken off."
Mr Woods said the pharmacy was still vaccinating at full capacity, with bookings full until mid February.
"It's really important for people to get their boosters at the moment," he said.
Mr Woods said he was confident the pharmacy wouldn't get to the stage where it had to close entirely due to COVID-19 workforce shortages.
"But we might have to run at a lower capacity, as in keep the doors closed and meet people at the doors and just triage the people," he said.
"We'd never close completely, if we just had one pharmacist, we'd keep going, but at limited services."
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