Vaccination begins: 70% expressed a wish. Kaunas clinics have determined who will give priority

Šarūnas Mačinskas, head of the Kaunas Clinics Outpatient Services Coordination Service, spoke at a remote press conference on Tuesday about how the COVID-19 vaccination was prepared by one of the largest hospitals in the country – the Kaunas Clinic .

According to Š. Mačinskas, Kaunas Clinic, started preparing for the coronavirus vaccination as soon as they started talking about possible vaccines. The Kaunas clinics are responsible for the treatment of COVID-19 in the Kaunas region, which means that they organize the whole process and communicate with other institutions.

“Yesterday, the Ministry of Health presented a decision that 5 organizing hospitals will be responsible not only for the vaccination of their health workers, but they must also organize the vaccination of all other health professionals and employees in the region. Yesterday we found out and today we are already starting to prepare for this work at full speed, it is scheduled to start on December 27, ”Š said. Machinsk.

According to the representative of the Kaunas clinics, the hospital has the necessary equipment and preparation for vaccination.

“Last week, Kaunas Clinics interviewed all of their employees and just over 70 percent of the employees, more than 7,000 employees. He immediately expressed his wish that they wish to be vaccinated with COVID-19. That is really a sufficient number of employees.

In accordance with established procedures, priorities are established for which employees will be vaccinated first. […] Employees working in the COVID-19 departments will be vaccinated first at the Kaunas clinics. Not only the doctors will be vaccinated, but also the nurses, cleaners, nursing assistants, support staff, everyone who works in that room, regardless of their position, ”Š said. Machinsk.

Then emergency personnel, both adults and children, will be vaccinated. Next are the physicians whose services generate a lot of aerosols, which are high-risk services. After that, all the other health professionals.

“If the conditions are right, we will start that work in the morning. The professionals who work with the highest risk will be vaccinated on the first day. Employees who work not only in the Kaunas clinics, but also in the Kaunas hospital will be vaccinated. ”Said a representative from the Kaunas clinics.

Although not 70, only 70% expressed the desire to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Doctors from the Kaunas Clinic, Š. According to Mačinskas, that percentage is quite high.

“Vaccination against influenza generally involves 10-15%. Workers. In fact, that public information about the importance of these vaccines, that to stop the spread of a dangerous virus, at least 70% must be achieved. population vaccination rate gives results.

I also don’t think the final number is here. I believe that the introduction of a particularly massive vaccination will certainly increase the proportion of people who want to be vaccinated and, at the same time, the number of workers.

I really encourage and invite all people to think and take responsibility not only for their own health, but also for the health of other family members, employees and patients, and to really participate in this vaccination program ”, invited the representative from Clinicas Kaunas.

The exact time the vaccination will begin is not yet known; it will all depend on when the vaccines are delivered.

Employees of other institutions in the region will be vaccinated at their workplaces, but Clinicas Kaunas will coordinate the entire process.

“There are preliminary figures that slightly less than 10 thousand doses reach Lithuania”, Š. Machinsk.

When asked to name the biggest possible challenges, a representative from the Kaunas clinics said: “Now there is a goal of vaccinating more than 70% of people. Lithuanian population. This can be challenging, but it is certainly being implemented for Lithuanian institutions. We can surely carry out vaccines of this volume. The volume of similar and larger vaccines was about 15 years ago, when there was a dangerous strain of flu and up to 2 flu shots were vaccinated during the same season. So this job is not new either. The biggest challenge is logistical when extremely low temperatures are needed. “