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In the canton of Zurich they are preparing for the vaccination campaign, which will start in January. The calendar is very demanding and there is still much to clarify.
In January, vaccinations will also take place in Switzerland: a man holds a syringe in his hand with which a possible active ingredient against the coronavirus was injected into a first test person in Germany.
Photo: Keystone / DPA / Christoph Schmidt
The first people in the canton of Zurich should be able to get vaccinated against the corona virus from January. Where and how this will be done has yet to be officially announced. Mobile teams at the site, hospitals, medical practices or centers, pharmacies or the establishment of vaccination centers are under discussion.
In the fall, the health department commissioned a six-person project team to implement the vaccination campaign. One from them is the infectologist Jan Fehr, 47. He is Head of the Department of Public and Global Health of the Institute for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention (EBPI) of the University of Zurich, where the largest vaccination center in Switzerland is located. “We are well positioned, but the calendar is very demanding,” he told the NZZ.
Minus 80 degrees for the vaccine
Above all, maintaining the cold chain, it will be a big logistical challenge, says Fehr. Certain vaccines that must be approved in Switzerland inFthe rage would have to cool down to minus 80 degrees Celsius.
“I consider the risk of possible side effects from vaccination to be less than that of Covid 19 disease.”
Importing by air is also a challenge. Marco Gredig, director of Cargologic, assumes that 4,000 tons of the Covid-19 vaccine will only be processed through the Kloten airport during the next year. Gramedig avoid if possible due to cooling. “Our goal is to transship the vaccine within two to four hours, clear customs, and load it from the plane to the truck.”
There could still be bottlenecks because, according to Gredig, 80 percent of the planes are currently on the ground. That could not only apply to the delivery of the Crown-METhe vaccine can be problematic, but also for other drugs and other products.
“Vaccination routes” are necessary
Once there, the vaccine is transported by the army by truck to the cantons, where it is distributed to the vaccination centers. One of them could be in the canton of Zurich. Exhibition center in Oerlikon to be created. According to NZZ, the Jan Fehr Center for Travel Medicine (ZRM) in Hirschengraben in Zurich will be the first place in the canton where the vaccine will be administered.
The so-called “vaccination route” is also being developed there, that is, procedures to administer the vaccine: vaccinated people must be monitored for 15 minutes doctors can intervene quickly in case of side effects. To avoid waiting times, those who wish to get vaccinated can book these times online.
“Absolutely nothing must go wrong, otherwise it would be detrimental to the entire vaccination system.”
According to NZZ, Fehr and his colleagues have until Christmas to acquire the staff they need. In addition to doctors, logistics and information technology specialists are also in demand at vaccination centers. Employees must go through a training course: Unlike the flu vaccine, which is always delivered ready-to-use, according to Fehr, special knowledge is required when handling some Covid-19 vaccines. “It takes several steps to mix the vaccine. Absolutely nothing must go wrong, otherwise it would be detrimental to the entire vaccination system. “
Skeptical population
However, Fehr’s biggest concern is a lack of confidence in vaccination. According to a representative Tamedia survey Only 27 percent of the more than 14,000 participants want to be vaccinated safely against Corona. Another 26 percent answered the relevant question with “rather yes.” In contrast, 42 percent say they want the vaccine to be injected safely or not.
For Jan Fehr, transparent communication about vaccines is as important as logistics. He himself would be vaccinated, even if not much was known about the vaccine. “I consider the risk of possible side effects from vaccination to be less than that of Covid 19 disease.”
