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What are the procedures, costs and methods of vaccination against Covid. The Aifa – Italian Medicines Agency – clarifies more doubts about the documentation necessary for vaccination and administration, but also illustrates whether it is possible to be vaccinated in case of particular pathologies or conditions. It is good to point out that from tomorrow the vaccination will be directed only to medical and health personnel. For citizens, we will have to wait for the second phase, in the first months of next year. The second phase involves the vaccination of several categories: over 60 years, people with severe comorbidities, immunodeficiency and / or frailty, groups with a higher risk of serious disease or death; “high priority” teachers and school staff.
Vaccination procedures
1. Who will administer the vaccine?
Vaccination will be carried out by doctors and nurses from the public vaccination services, people who have been vaccinated for a long time and are experts in vaccination techniques. In addition, given the particularity of this vaccine, health professionals have received additional specific technical information on the preparation and administration of the COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine (Comirnaty).
2. Who should I contact to get vaccinated?
The vaccination campaign will be carried out in several successive phases, the public will be invited to carry out the vaccination in an order of priority defined by the risk of people becoming infected and developing the disease with serious consequences. In the initial phase, the vaccination will be reserved for health personnel and staff and guests of nursing homes and vaccinations will be carried out by the staff of the vaccination services in the 286 hospitals defined by the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. The same vaccination staff will go to nursing homes for vaccination.
3. How much does the vaccination cost?
Vaccination is free for everyone.
4. Is it possible to get vaccinated privately for a fee?
No, the currently available vaccines will only be used in the facilities defined by the Vaccine Plan and will not be available in pharmacies or in the private market. Attempting to obtain the vaccine by alternative means or on the Internet is strongly discouraged. These channels do not give any guarantee on the quality of the product, which could be, in addition to being ineffective, dangerous for health.
5. Does the vaccine protect only the vaccinated person or also their family members?
The vaccine protects the individual person, but if many of us are vaccinated, we could partially reduce the circulation of the virus and therefore also protect all the people who cannot be vaccinated: vaccination is done to protect ourselves, but also to the community we live in.
6. Does the vaccination allow you to return to your previous life?
Even if the efficacy of the COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine is very high (more than 90%) there will always be a portion of those vaccinated who will not develop the immune defense, in addition, we still do not know definitively if the vaccination only prevents the manifestation. disease or even the transmission of infections. For this reason, being vaccinated does not confer a “certificate of freedom” but it is necessary to continue adopting the correct behaviors and measures to contain the risk of contagion.
7. Will there be vaccines for everyone?
The Italian government, through European procedures, has booked the purchase of more than two hundred million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from six different manufacturers. There will be no free choice about which vaccine to prefer: vaccination services will offer the vaccine available at the time and place with a full guarantee of equivalent safety and efficacy.
8. What type of syringes will be used?
Vaccination will be carried out with a special sterile disposable syringe equipped with a needle lock system (Luer Lock) to avoid accidental detachment; Sterile disposable needles are also equipped with a locking accessory: used syringes must not be recapped (Ministerial Decree 28/9/89) and will be immediately deposited in special disposal containers.
9. Will only Italian citizens be vaccinated?
According to the priority scheme defined in the Vaccine Plan, all persons present in the Italian territory, residents, with or without a residence permit according to article 35 of the consolidated immigration law will be vaccinated.
10. What documents are required for vaccination?
A valid identity document and a health card. It may also be helpful to carry any health documentation with you that can help the vaccinator assess physical status.
Special conditions
18. Who has already had a confirmed COVID-19 infection should or can be vaccinated?
Vaccination does not contrast with a previous COVID-19 infection, but rather improves your immune memory, so no pre-vaccination test is helpful. However, those diagnosed with positive COVID-19 do not need vaccination in the first phase of the vaccination campaign, although it could be considered when obtaining data on the duration of immune protection.
19. Can people with allergies be vaccinated with the COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine (Comirnaty)?
Individuals with a history of severe anaphylactic reactions or severe allergy, or who already know that they are allergic to one of the components of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty), should consult with their physician before undergoing vaccination. As with all vaccines, this one must also be administered under close medical supervision. People who experience a severe allergic reaction after receiving the first dose of the vaccine should not receive the second dose. Allergic (hypersensitivity) reactions have been observed in subjects who received the vaccine. Since the vaccine began to be used in vaccination campaigns, there have been very few cases of anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction).
20. Can pregnant or lactating women be vaccinated?
Data on the use of the vaccine during pregnancy are still very limited, however, laboratory studies in animal models have shown no harmful effects during pregnancy. The vaccine is not contraindicated and does not exclude pregnant women from vaccination, because pregnancy, especially when combined with other risk factors such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity, could make them more exposed to severe COVID-19. The Istituto Superiore di Sanità has a surveillance system for pregnant women in relation to COVID-19 that could offer more useful information. Although there are no studies on breastfeeding, based on biological plausibility, there is no risk that prevents continued breastfeeding. In general, the use of the vaccine during pregnancy and lactation should be decided in close consultation with a healthcare professional after considering the benefits and risks.
21. Can children be vaccinated with the COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine (Comirnaty)?
Currently, this vaccine is not recommended for children under 16 years of age. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has agreed with the manufacturer on a plan to test the vaccine in children at a later stage.
22. Can people with documented immunodeficiency or autoimmune diseases get vaccinated?
Data on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine (Comirnaty) in people with autoimmune diseases are not yet available, but were included in the initial trials. During clinical trials, no differences were observed in the appearance of symptoms attributable to autoimmune or inflammatory diseases between vaccinated and placebo-treated subjects. People with autoimmune diseases that do not have contraindications can receive the vaccine. There are limited data on use in immunosuppressed people (whose immune system is weakened). While these people may not respond as well to the vaccine, there are no particular safety concerns. Immunosuppressed people can
get vaccinated, as they may be at high risk for COVID-19.
23. Can people with chronic diseases, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases be vaccinated?
These are precisely the people most at risk of a serious evolution in case of infection by SARSCoV-2, for which they will be given priority in the invitation to vaccination.
24. Can people being treated with anticoagulants be vaccinated?
People in treatment with anticoagulant therapy have a generic contraindication for any injection, for them, vaccination should be evaluated case by case by their doctor for the risk of bleeding at the injection site.
25. Can people who have recently received the flu vaccine get vaccinated against COVID-19?
There is no data yet on interference between the COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, however the nature of the COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine (Comirnaty) suggests that it is unlikely to interfere with other vaccines. However, spacing a couple of weeks may be a precautionary measure.
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