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Those who want to be vaccinated against COVID and are not in the priority or risk groups will register online on a special platform, they can do so by phone or through their family doctor. However, vaccination will not be carried out in family doctors’ offices, but in specially created centers. There will be about 850-900 such centers across the country, but they will be joined by mobile caravans, said on Digi24 Thursday night, Dr. Valeriu Gheorghiță, coordinator of the national anti-COVID vaccination campaign.
Vaccination of the general population, that is, people who are not in the priority or risk groups, could start in late March – early April, and the authorities want this process to be completed by the middle of next year and close to group immunization percentages: 60-70 percent of the population. Then we could talk about the end of the coronavirus epidemic in Romania, says Dr. Valeriu Gheorghiță.
The people who will be vaccinated will receive a certificate and a very clear record of them will be left. Before vaccination, they will undergo an epidemiological classification and a clinical examination.
Where Vaccine Information Is Available
For the moment, the communication and information campaign is more important for the authorities. Last week was a meeting with all the associations and organizations of family doctors to present the vaccination strategy against COVID-19 in Romania and to create a communication and information plan for the general population. “We want this population information to be as clear, consistent and transparent as possible,” says Valeriu Gheorghiță.
But as the general population will be vaccinated in the last stage of the vaccination campaign, the authorities prefer to focus now on the preparation of the first stage of vaccination, the organization of vaccination centers and the creation of the logistics chain, from the reception, storage and distribution to the territorial centers. and vaccination centers.
A national information platform is now available at vaccinare-covid.gov.ro. Here you will find detailed information about vaccines, their safety, frequently asked questions, myths, etc. There is also a YouTube channel, and other communication channels will be created next week.
Online programming platform
When ordinary people, who are not in risk groups, will be able to express their choice: do they want to be vaccinated or not? Dr. Valeriu Gheorghiță was asked on Thursday night.
“When there will be a single scheduling platform for vaccination, the mere intention of a person listed on that scheduling platform is proof that that person wants to be vaccinated,” said Dr. Gheorghiță.
Programming on this unique platform will be done in three different ways: either electronically by the person who has access to the internet and who will make their own appointment at a vaccination center, or it can be done by phone, or through the doctor of family in case of people who cannot make this appointment electronically or by phone.
When asked when the actual vaccination of the general population will begin, Dr. Gheorghiță stressed that it is important to consider vaccine delivery schedule and how many types of vaccines will have a marketing authorization at that time.
When vaccination of the general population begins
“It just came to our knowledge then end of first quarter of next year, practically in end of March – beginning of April, vaccination of the general population, that is, the last stage of the vaccination campaign. All of these stages can overlap at some point. If the approved types of vaccines guarantee the need that we will have at some point in Romania and if the vaccines will be available, these stages can take place in parallel ”, said Valeriu Gheorghiță.
“We want to ensure the vaccination of a significant number of the population by the middle of next year, to achieve this percentage of 60-70 percent of herd immunization, precisely because we want to practically end vaccination activity by the middle of next year“Said in Digi24 the coordinator of the national vaccination campaign against COVID.
Family doctors will not participate in vaccination.
He explained that the actual conduct of the vaccination activity will take place at the vaccination center level. “We do not intend, at least for the moment, to carry out the vaccination activity at the level of the family medicine office. There will be 200-250 people vaccinated in one day. It is extremely complicated that at the level of the family medicine office, in addition to the usual consultations and follow-up of the patients that they have to do, overload the vaccination activity. It is a fairly elaborate process, in which each person must undergo an epidemiological triage, a clinical examination, insisting on identifying momentary or definitive contraindications. There must also be equipment designed for effective administration of the vaccine. Then there is the post-vaccination surveillance period, or these things cannot be done in a family medicine office, where there is only one vaccination team, ”explained Valeriu Gheorghiță.
850-900 vaccination centers nationwide
There will be around 850-900 vaccination centers nationwide, which will guarantee easier access for the population of the territory to a specific vaccination center.
In addition, there will be mobile vaccination centers, mobile caravans, which will provide vaccination kits for staff of long-term residential centers, who obviously move with difficulty, for categories of people performing essential activities or for other categories. of people, among the general population, for whom access to a vaccination center is limited, such as certain rural areas or in any other condition where access is limited or restricted, said Dr. Gheorghiță.
How long do we get rid of Covid-19 if 70 percent of the population is vaccinated?
In theory, the incidence or rate of new cases should gradually decrease as we provide vaccination at least for medical and at-risk personnel. By ensuring the vaccination of personnel at risk, we will greatly reduce the pressure on the medical system, because we practically minimize the probability of serious cases of illness and then we will no longer have this pressure on the medical system. This is an objective, which is derived from insuring the population at risk, explained the doctor.
The second objective, which derives from the vaccination of the general population, is the elimination of the virus from the circulation or the reduction of the virus from the general circulation. Why If the virus no longer has a host to populate and infect, then it will be out of circulation. You no longer have a receptive person, you no longer have a place to stay, you are practically eliminated.
“We are not aiming for a complete elimination of the virus from circulation, but we are aiming to reach the level of identification of some sporadic cases of disease. From this point of view, I think the situation will be comfortable. I think in a few months, probably in summer, which will come as an additional help. Although this year we observed an accelerated transmission during the summer, it was conditioned by two aspects: the contact between many people, which confirmed the transmission by direct and respiratory contact of the virus, and the fact that we had enough receptive people. to this infection, that is, non-immunized population. However, when we have an immunized population and we comply with most of the prevention measures, I believe that we can already talk in summer about the end of the pandemic“Said Valeriu Gheorghiță.
Vaccination certificate
Those vaccinated must receive at the time of vaccination a certificate with the identification data of each person and the type of vaccine administered, the series, the respective batch, the date on which the booster should be performed.
“This certificate is automatically printed from the National Electronic Vaccine Registry, because we will have as clear a record as possible of all vaccinated people. We will also have a record of the people who are on the first dose, of the people who are at the moment. from retirement, but also from the type of category that person comes from, namely: medical personnel, essential personnel, personnel at risk or the general population “, explained Valeriu Gheorghiță.
What contraindications can vaccines have?
BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna will probably be the first companies to deliver the first vaccines to the market, including in Romania, in late December or early January.
Once a vaccine is approved and delivered according to the delivery schedule and contract, it will be introduced for medical use as it becomes available. But if a person begins to be vaccinated with a certain type of vaccine, the booster (second dose) must be done with the same type of vaccine, they cannot be mixed.
“There will probably be some strong recommendations from the European Commission. Whatever is done at the European level, we will have the same kind of approach in Romania,” said Dr. Valeriu Gheorghiță.
Regarding contraindications, the doctor said that he studied the leaflet available for the Pfizer vaccine and mentions that if the person had an allergic reaction to the first dose, they will not receive the same type of vaccine in the second dose.
There may be contraindications in acute febrile illness, but it is a temporary contraindication and when the medical problem is resolved, the person can be vaccinated.
In the case of bleeding disorders, since this vaccine is administered intramuscularly, a person who is taking anticoagulant treatments or has bleeding disorders that increase their risk of bleeding, then they had a contraindication to this vaccine.
There are also people with low immunity, such as people with HIV / AIDS who are decompensated or who undergo severe immunosuppressive treatments, and who do not necessarily have a contraindication, but the immune response in these people is not the best. From this point of view, it is a rule applicable to all types of vaccines: in the case of people with a poor immune response, the post-vaccination response will not be very good, and here other, non-specific, preventive measures already known must be reinforced. : mask, hygiene and physical distance. But also for these categories of people, by vaccinating those close to you, a protective effect will be practically created, a barrier around that person and they will be protected, said Dr. Valeriu Gheorghiță, coordinator of the national vaccination campaign against COVID. .
Editor: Luana Pavaluca
