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On Monday, the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) published its guide to vaccination against covid-19. Special consideration is given to the candidate from vaccine manufacturer Pfizer and BioNTech, and the NIPH cautions about challenges related to temperature, double doses and the vaccination site.
In the guide, the National Institute of Public Health describes that these doses of vaccine must be transported and stored at minus 75 degrees until they are delivered for transport to the individual municipality. After being removed from the freezer, the vaccine doses have a shelf life of only five days.
The guide states that FHI expects to be able to administer vaccine doses within eight hours to municipalities in eastern Norway and within 24 hours to municipalities in the rest of Norway. While a small percentage of deliveries will take up to 36 hours.
The National Institute of Public Health says they will be able to track shipments in real time. You must stay informed of any delays and problems. When the vaccine doses arrive in the municipality, they can be stored like other vaccines at a temperature of two to eight degrees.
Norway’s biggest challenge
This process has recently been described by health director Bjørn Guldvog as the biggest practical challenge in Norway.
– The biggest practical challenge is to get these vaccines from the freezing places where they are stored regionally and safely to the municipalities where they will be placed. Naturally, we have a plan in the individual municipalities on how it will be implemented in practice. It is a great job that is left to the municipalities, but they have a professional apparatus to handle, Guldvog told Dagbladet.
– Five days seems like a rush.
– It’s a big logistical task. But five days is still good business, and we know that we can get many thousands of shots in a relatively short time if it’s well planned. So I think the municipalities will achieve it in a good way.
Responsibility of the municipalities
Later in the guide, FHI comes with several warnings related to the Pfizer vaccine. First, municipalities must have a temperature control system where the doses are stored, preferably with an alarm function. If the vaccine doses are to be distributed internally in the municipalities, the municipalities themselves are responsible for ensuring that the vaccines are transported at the appropriate temperature.
“In the event of a cold chain break, the municipality’s vaccine manager must adhere to the given guidelines and possibly contact the National Institute of Public Health to determine if the vaccines can still be used,” the Institute writes and continues. National Public Health:
«The municipality will guarantee the adequate storage of the vaccines. Different types of vaccines must be kept separate to avoid incorrect vaccination. There must be security routines that minimize the possibility of theft and other waste of vaccines stored in the municipality. This becomes especially important in a shortage situation. “
Double doser
FHI also writes that personal appointment for vaccination, and confirmation of attendance, will be the most appropriate to avoid waste and ensure proper use. This is especially true when you are vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine.
FHI advises that the dose range for this vaccine is very narrow. Dose two should be given between 19 and 23 days after the first dose and therefore detailed plans should be made to set dose two within the correct time frame.
Vaccination site
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health also warns that the short shelf life of Pfizer vaccines means that municipalities should carefully consider “whether it is possible with many vaccination sites, such as GP offices, and rather consider more centralized solutions.” .
If many people are to be vaccinated in the same place at the same time, the so-called ‘gym vaccination’, FHI recommends that those to be vaccinated be bandaged to prevent infection.
Norwegian health authorities estimate that Pfizer’s candidate vaccine can be approved for use in the EU and Norway by the end of December at the earliest. Candidate vaccines for Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson can be approved on a rolling basis.
Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, Moderna and AstraZeneca must be given at four-day intervals. Moderna can also be stored at two to eight degrees for up to 30 days, while AstraZeneca can be stored at two to eight degrees for up to six months.
