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All nursing home residents and staff could be vaccinated in mid to late February, based on an interim model, said the chairman of the state’s Covid-19 vaccine task force.
Professor Brian MacCraith told the Oireachtas health committee that while this was not a target or model target, different vaccine arrival rates had been made, the staff available to administer the vaccines, and the number of people in residential care settings in the state: a category that includes nursing homes.
He said there are nearly 600 such facilities in the country, with some 78,000 residents and staff living within them.
“If you look at those numbers, and you look at that initial cohort of vaccinators, you can start to think that that cohort might complete their vaccinations in mid to late February, for example,” Colm Burke told Fine Gael TD, emphasizing that this to turn would depend on the number of vaccines that arrive.
Professor MacCraith also confirmed that the current expectation is that several “carriers” of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine would arrive in the state before the end of the year, each with about 5,000 doses. While he said there was no “absolute confirmation” on the numbers, when pressed by Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane, he said that before the end of the calendar year “small multiples” of that number are expected to be delivered. number.
“If you take those 4,875 (doses) per sender, we would expect a small number of senders. It can be one, it can be two. We do not know exactly that yet, it has not been confirmed ”.
He said that in the quarterly assignments there would be “hundreds of thousands” of assigned doses. Professor MacCraith told the committee that they had no firm information beyond that a small number of vaccines are likely to be delivered before the end of December.
He said the working group has seen “indicative calendars” but that they have been “changing” as the situation develops. “The only strong indication we have is that a small quantity of the initial quantity of vaccines is likely to be delivered to us before the end of December.”
Premature complacency
Despite the positive news about the vaccine, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronan Glynn said there is a “risk of premature complacency” as people will react to recent events and “see hope and light on the horizon.”
He warned that the state is “looking at several months before we see a vaccine that has a significant effect on how we manage this disease in Ireland. “
Dr Glynn said the situation in Northern Ireland is of “real concern” and that the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) will discuss it at their meeting on Thursday. In the Republic, he said, the situation is “very fragile, we have seen numbers rise in recent days, and the signs are that we have hit rock bottom … and we are beginning to see a deterioration again.” The deputy CMO said there is no mandatory vaccination plan for anyone in the state, and the key to vaccine adoption is “information, trust, trust and commitment.”
Professor MacCraith also warned against the “combination” between a vaccination certificate and a vaccination passport, which he said is something “very different.” What is currently being examined, he said, is a “simple vaccination record.” The committee heard that more information was needed on, among other things, how vaccines interrupt transmission before an immunization passport or similar approach could be mapped out.
The committee heard that up to 15 potential sites are being considered for mass vaccination centers across the country, including the National Exhibition Center and Citywest in Dublin, and third-tier institutions such as the Waterford Institute of Technology, NUI Galway and the University. from Limerick. Dr. Henry told the committee, however, that the initial phase of vaccination would “be supported” by existing teams of vaccinators, such as those involved in the school vaccination program.
The pregnancy
Professor Karina Butler, chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (CANI), said that recommendations on immunization will be produced for pregnant and lactating mothers, as well as for women considering becoming pregnant. He said it would occur once the European Medicines Agency granted conditional marketing approval for the vaccines, but told Social Democrats’ co-leader Roisin Shortall that it might not be final when it occurs as data on the impact are lacking. . about pregnancy. In general, it is considered unethical to include pregnant women in vaccine trials.
Ms. Shortall also raised issues related to obtaining the informed consent of disabled people, which would include some in nursing homes and other long-term residential facilities. Dr. Henry told him that for those lacking in capacity, family networks or those involved in caring for a person would be involved in obtaining informed consent, and that efforts would be made to help those lacking computer skills. or they have a limited capacity through the self. -Registration system that will be used to sign up for the vaccination.
The Committee also heard that there were “strong alliances” between the health service, the Nphet and GP groups that had developed during the course of the pandemic. As GP groups have recently raised concerns about the clarity of their role in vaccine implementation plans, Dr. Colm Henry told the committee that a group has been established to provide GPs with information in real time, and that GPs will be particularly important as the phased implementation expands. above.
The challenge of implementing a Covid-19 vaccination program is “unmatched”, whether in Ireland or around the world, due to the “scale, complexity and desire for speed” involved, the Committee was previously told.
Successful launch
In his opening statement, the chair of the Covid-19 vaccination working group, Professor Brian MacCraith, told the Oireachtas health committee that the team created to plan the implementation will remain and play a “continuing role” in oversight. and monitoring of implementation. of the vaccination program.
“Successful implementation of the vaccination program depends on careful and precise coordination,” he said, between state agencies, the Health Services Executive (HSE) and a wide range of advisers, regulators and other actors that span both government agencies and public and private sectors.
The working group will ensure that implementation is “coordinated within a single integrated work program,” said Professor MacCraith in his opening statement, “and will play an ongoing role in overseeing and monitoring the implementation of the program.” with contributions from the wide range of bodies represented in it, from government departments to the HSE and the Defense Forces.
He said that due to the variety of actors involved and the “level of responsiveness that will be required” as the program progresses, “it will be necessary to increase and support existing arrangements.”
He outlined the complex arrangements, governing planning for deployment, with different roles played by the Department of Health, the HSE, the National Immunization Advisory Committee (NIAC), and HSE units such as the National Office for Immunization and Protection of health. Surveillance center. The Health Products Regulatory Authority and the National Public Health Emergency Team are also involved, the committee was told.
The challenge of designing and implementing a vaccination program “of this scale, complexity and desire for speed is unparalleled here and around the world,” said Professor MacCraith.
The task force has been structured into seven different lines of work, each with a senior responsible officer, who combines with it and a program director to form a task force, which is ultimately dependent on the Government. Activity is “very advanced” in each of the workflows.
The task force, which will meet again on Wednesday afternoon, has produced a strategy document and an implementation plan, which will change over time “as necessary to meet the overall objectives of the program.”
Professor Karina Butler, president of CANI, told the committee that a compensation plan would be developed for those who have adverse reactions to vaccines.
“Another challenge is finalizing the development of a national injury repair program to provide support and care in the event that any vaccine recipient develops a severe reaction to the vaccine, as recommended by the World Health Organization,” he said. .
Professor Butler added that the speed at which the vaccines had been developed was “inconceivable” but “has not been rushed or reckless.”
She said ongoing monitoring of the vaccine is needed and that the efficacy recorded in vaccine trials may decrease somewhat in the “real world” deployment.
Professor Butler said that some side effects, including short-term reactions, can be anticipated, but that reports from overseas regulatory agencies “did not raise significant safety concerns.”
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