LONDON: The first 50 National Health Service (NHS) hospitals are preparing for what the UK government has described as the “largest immunization program in history”, as the first doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 they reached “safe places” in the country of neighboring Belgium this weekend.
Frontline healthcare staff, people over 80 and home care workers will be among the first to receive the vaccine as part of Phase 1 of the program starting Tuesday, the implementation of which was approved by the regulator. independent from the UK earlier this week.
The Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had stated that the jab, which claims to offer up to 95 percent protection against Covid-19, is safe for human use against the novel coronavirus after “rigorous” controls.
“Next week will be a historic moment when we start vaccination against Covid-19,” said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
“I urge everyone to do their part to suppress this virus and follow local restrictions to protect the NHS as they carry out this crucial work,” he said.
The minister added that the government is doing everything it can to overcome “significant challenges” to ensure that nursing home residents are vaccinated as soon as possible after they were also approved for Phase 1 by the Joint Vaccination Committee and UK Immunization (JCVI), as those most at risk of death from the deadly virus.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said that NHS staff are working over the weekend to get the first vaccinations from Tuesday to 50 pre-selected centers in the first wave.
More hospitals will begin vaccinating in the coming weeks and months as the program intensifies.
Patients 80 and older who are already attending the hospital as outpatients, and those who are discharged after a hospital stay, will be among the first to receive the “jab that saved their lives.” Hospitals will also begin inviting more than 80 people to get a shot and will work with home care providers to reserve their staff at vaccination clinics.
Some media reports indicate that 94-year-old Queen Elizabeth II and her 99-year-old husband, Prince Philip, are likely among this group.
Any appointments not used for these groups will be used for healthcare workers and all vaccinated will need a booster dose 21 days later.
“Despite the enormous complexities, hospitals will begin the first phase of the largest-scale vaccination campaign in the history of our country starting Tuesday.
The first tranche of vaccine deliveries will arrive in hospitals on Monday in preparation, ”said Professor Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director.
“The NHS has a strong track record of implementing large-scale vaccination programs, from the flu vaccine, HPV vaccine, and life-saving MMR injections, hardworking staff will once again rise to the challenge of protect the most vulnerable people from this terrible disease, ”he said.
General practitioners (GPs) and other primary care personnel are also on standby to begin administering the jab, with some of them set to be ready from December 14 and more in other parts of the country gradually joining in over the next few weeks. and months. .
Vaccination centers that treat large numbers of patients at sports venues and conference centers will later join the campaign as more vaccine supplies come online, DHSC said.
Typically, the vaccine is administered by a simple injection into the shoulder, but there is a complex and difficult logistical challenge to deliver from manufacturers Pfizer to patients.
It must be stored at -70 ° C before thawing and can only be moved four times within that cold chain before use.
Thawing the vaccine takes a few hours and then additional time is required to prepare the vaccine for administration.
DHSC said that NHS staff have been working over the weekend to prepare the sites and accept the deliveries.
Each box must be opened and unpacked manually, and temperature data must be downloaded from each box.
Tracking data covering the journey of each box from Belgium is also being downloaded to verify that the vials have been kept well below freezing.
There are five 975-dose packs per box and only sites with the required MHRA license can split vaccine packs. Once all verifications are completed, the vaccine will be available to order from authorized sites on the state funded NHS.
Distribution of the vaccine in the UK is handled by Public Health England and the NHS in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through specially adapted systems from those used successfully for national immunization programs, the government said. .
Around 800,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to be available in the UK from next week. In all, the government has ordered a total of 40 million doses, enough to vaccinate 20 million people, with two injections each, 21 days apart.
Meanwhile, the UK recorded another 397 deaths from the deadly virus, bringing the country’s death toll to 61,014.
Frontline healthcare staff, people over 80 and home care workers will be among the first to receive the vaccine as part of Phase 1 of the program starting Tuesday, the implementation of which was approved by the regulator. independent from the UK earlier this week.
The Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had stated that the jab, which claims to offer up to 95 percent protection against Covid-19, is safe for human use against the novel coronavirus after “rigorous” controls.
“Next week will be a historic moment when we start vaccination against Covid-19,” said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
“I urge everyone to do their part to suppress this virus and follow local restrictions to protect the NHS as they carry out this crucial work,” he said.
The minister added that the government is doing everything it can to overcome “significant challenges” to ensure that nursing home residents are vaccinated as soon as possible after they were also approved for Phase 1 by the Joint Vaccination Committee and UK Immunization (JCVI), as those most at risk of death from the deadly virus.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said that NHS staff are working over the weekend to get the first vaccinations from Tuesday to 50 pre-selected centers in the first wave.
More hospitals will begin vaccinating in the coming weeks and months as the program intensifies.
Patients 80 and older who are already attending the hospital as outpatients, and those who are discharged after a hospital stay, will be among the first to receive the “jab that saved their lives.” Hospitals will also begin inviting more than 80 people to get a shot and will work with home care providers to reserve their staff at vaccination clinics.
Some media reports indicate that 94-year-old Queen Elizabeth II and her 99-year-old husband, Prince Philip, are likely among this group.
Any appointments not used for these groups will be used for healthcare workers and all vaccinated will need a booster dose 21 days later.
“Despite the enormous complexities, hospitals will begin the first phase of the largest-scale vaccination campaign in the history of our country starting Tuesday.
The first tranche of vaccine deliveries will arrive in hospitals on Monday in preparation, ”said Professor Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director.
“The NHS has a strong track record of implementing large-scale vaccination programs, from the flu vaccine, HPV vaccine, and life-saving MMR injections, hardworking staff will once again rise to the challenge of protect the most vulnerable people from this terrible disease, ”he said.
General practitioners (GPs) and other primary care personnel are also on standby to begin administering the jab, with some of them set to be ready from December 14 and more in other parts of the country gradually joining in over the next few weeks. and months. .
Vaccination centers that treat large numbers of patients at sports venues and conference centers will later join the campaign as more vaccine supplies come online, DHSC said.
Typically, the vaccine is administered by a simple injection into the shoulder, but there is a complex and difficult logistical challenge to deliver from manufacturers Pfizer to patients.
It must be stored at -70 ° C before thawing and can only be moved four times within that cold chain before use.
Thawing the vaccine takes a few hours and then additional time is required to prepare the vaccine for administration.
DHSC said that NHS staff have been working over the weekend to prepare the sites and accept the deliveries.
Each box must be opened and unpacked manually, and temperature data must be downloaded from each box.
Tracking data covering the journey of each box from Belgium is also being downloaded to verify that the vials have been kept well below freezing.
There are five 975-dose packs per box and only sites with the required MHRA license can split vaccine packs. Once all verifications are completed, the vaccine will be available to order from authorized sites on the state funded NHS.
Distribution of the vaccine in the UK is handled by Public Health England and the NHS in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through specially adapted systems from those used successfully for national immunization programs, the government said. .
Around 800,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to be available in the UK from next week. In all, the government has ordered a total of 40 million doses, enough to vaccinate 20 million people, with two injections each, 21 days apart.
Meanwhile, the UK recorded another 397 deaths from the deadly virus, bringing the country’s death toll to 61,014.
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