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THE CABINET IS ready today to discuss a report detailing the sequence of groups receiving potential Covid-19 vaccines, with those in nursing homes at the top of the list.
The first Covid-19 vaccination on the island of Ireland will take place in Northern Ireland today after the UK formally approved the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech last week.
The first beneficiary will be one of more than 800 vaccinators who will participate in the post-implementation program.
Stocks of the coronavirus vaccine arrived in Northern Ireland on Friday after passing through Dublin Port.
The Irish government has said that delivery of vaccines could begin in the Republic next month, once the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gives its approval.
The EMA is set to complete a review of the Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine on December 29 and a decision on the Moderna vaccine could also come a couple of weeks later.
The government has signed up to six vaccine advance purchase agreements from Moderna, AstraZeneca, Jansen, Sanofi, CureVac and Pfizer.
Before vaccinations take place, the National Immunization Advisory Committee (NIAC) will evaluate the sequence of who will receive the first doses of the vaccine.
The NIAC has completed its report, which also involved Health Department officials, and Minister Stephen Donnelly will bring a memo on the sequencing proposals in the morning.
The proposals that the government will analyze indicate that the first group in the vaccine sequence would be adults over 65 years of age who live in long-term care centers. This would be followed by frontline healthcare workers who have direct contact with patients.
Third, it would be people over 70, with a system developed so that those at the oldest end of this group have priority over the youngest.
A more detailed sequence for the remaining groups at risk is also being finalized.
The broader strategy on the launch of the vaccine will be delivered to the government on Friday by the High-Level Working Group on Covid-19 Vaccination.
The task force is chaired by former DCU President Brian MacCraith and also includes senior members of NPHET, including Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan and HSE Chief Executive Officer Paul Reid.
Last week, Reid highlighted that the doses of the vaccine that would arrive in Ireland would arrive gradually “over an extended period of time”, so the question of “sequencing and prioritization” is key that must be addressed first.
At last night’s NPHET briefing, Dr. Holohan said the plans are now at a “very advanced stage” and must be “considered and approved by the government.”
He said a “proactive meeting” on the plan was held yesterday and confirmed that the plan is expected to be unveiled on Friday.
In the UK, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) last week published guidance on prioritizing who should get vaccinated first.
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The list is similar to the prioritization that was published earlier this year, but was slightly modified to refer to the first phase of the mass vaccination program.
As in Ireland, the JCVI prioritization indicated that nursing home residents would be at the top of the vaccine implementation sequence.
While Ireland’s sequencing plans are similar to those outlined by UK counterparts, it is likely that the logistical problems in the UK in getting to nursing homes first will be closely watched here.
Pfizer and BioNTech have said that the jab can be shipped to nursing homes as long as it travels no more than six hours after it comes out of cold storage and is then placed in a normal refrigerator between 2C and 8C.
Therefore, this has raised problems about vaccinating residents who are unable to leave their homes.
Yesterday the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) called on the government to ensure that pharmacists play a “central role” in vaccinating people as part of the “meticulous planning” that is required.
IPU Secretary General Darragh O’Loughlin argued that GPs should not bear the sole burden of vaccinating the country, as it could have knock-on effects for health services in the coming months.
If doctors in Ireland, who regularly mention capacity limitations, were to have this additional responsibility, it could lead to delayed diagnoses in other areas of the disease. Utilizing and resourcing pharmacy capacity is a logical way to avoid this potential problem.
“Many other countries, including the US and the UK, have already committed to using pharmaceuticals in their national implementations. To date, the Irish government has not yet confirmed whether people will be able to get vaccinated at local pharmacies. “
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