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The first doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine will be administered in Ireland at four acute care hospitals on Tuesday.
Initially, the plan had been to go straight to nursing homes, but the National Advisory Committee on Immunization said it would prefer the first tranche to be administered in healthcare settings after some reports of anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction, in the UK. and the United States.
The plan is to vaccinate 20,000 people a week starting in early January, and this will increase to 40,000 over the course of the month as supply begins.
Where am I in the queue?
Senior residents in long-term residential care facilities, such as nursing homes and frontline healthcare workers, will be given priority.
After that they will be: people aged 70 and over; other health workers; people 65 to 69 years old; key workers; people at risk due to medical conditions; and those who live or work in crowded conditions.
This will be followed by people who work in education; those from 55 to 64 years old; workers in other occupations important to the functioning of society; people between 18 and 54 years old; and, finally, pregnant women and those under 18 years of age.
How will it work?
When each cohort is vaccinated, individuals will need to register online or by phone, and will be given a scheduled appointment at a vaccination center or other location.
Upon arrival, patient details will be confirmed and a consent form completed prior to receiving the upper arm injection.
They will be asked to wait 15 minutes to allow staff to monitor any immediate adverse drug reactions.
The required second dose of vaccine will be administered 21 days later, with a reminder sent for the second appointment.
Should I Expect Side Effects?
The Health Service Executive has said that common side effects can include muscle aches, headaches, tiredness or swelling in the upper arm.
Often times, people can develop a fever after a vaccine, especially after the second dose. The fever can appear after 48 hours and usually lasts about two days.
How will it work in nursing homes?
HSE’s plan to vaccinate the 70,000 residents and staff in the vulnerable sector of nursing homes will begin on January 11, with a small number of vaccinations in nursing homes before this date.
Two doses of the vaccine are expected to be administered by the end of February at more than 580 facilities.
A team of vaccinators will arrive on site to administer the vaccine in a dedicated area of the nursing home.
Smaller nursing homes with 30 or fewer residents will require a team of four vaccinators, with all doses given in one day and the second dose 21 days later. Larger facilities with more than 120 residents will likely need three days to administer the vaccine per dose.
Who will administer the vaccines?
All vaccinators will be qualified health professionals. While the process is relatively straightforward, vaccinators must receive specific training in the administration of Covid-19 vaccines.
In the initial phase, when vaccine supplies are limited, the program will be led by 180 community health vaccinators, who lead the HSE school vaccination program. The HSE has said that another 1,500 vaccinators will be available in the acute hospital system as the implementation plan accelerates.
What about GPs and pharmacists?
General practitioners and pharmacists will be part of the vaccination plan only after the initial phase covering frontline healthcare workers and residential care homes.
When large quantities of doses are available, the second phase will see the vaccine delivered through general medicine clinics, pharmacies, and mass vaccination centers.
The current Covid-19 swab centers can be reused as large vaccination sites, such as the National Exhibition Center in Cloghran, north of County Dublin.
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