Hospitals in England ‘told to prepare for vaccine launch in 10 days’

Hospitals in England were told to prepare for coronavirus attacks in as little as 10 days, as reported.

Doctors could receive the first deliveries of a vaccine created by Pfizer and BioNTech between December 7 and 9, with regulatory approval expected in a few days.

NHS staff are expected to be first in line for the jab, despite interim guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) prioritizing residents of nursing homes over healthcare workers. , who were on an equal footing with those over 80 years of age.

But health officials have warned that due to the delicate composition of Pfizer’s jab, it runs the risk of becoming ineffective or unstable if it is moved out of -70 ° C temperatures more than four times.

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The vaccine will have already moved from Pfizer’s production line in Belgium and then to UK storage centers before reaching UK hospitals.

A senior executive told The Guardian: ‘We were told to wait for the vaccine on December 7 and we plan to start vaccinating our staff all that week.

“However, it is the Pfizer vaccine that we are receiving, so it cannot be moved again once it reaches us and then we have to use it within five days, as that is its shelf life.”

Despite its prioritization of nursing home residents and those over 80, the JCVI guidance also said the final decision on how healthcare workers would be prioritized would depend on the characteristics of the vaccine.

The implementation period of the jab will depend on whether it is approved by the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

It is understood that the NHS England has not confirmed a date for the launch of the vaccine, which according to the first results is 95% effective.

However, it is also believed that 10 days would be a reasonable time if the vaccine was approved soon.

On November 20, the Health Secretary said he had formally asked the drug regulator to evaluate the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for use in the UK.

Matt Hancock hailed it as “another important step forward in the fight against this pandemic.”

But he said that while the regulator’s approval would see a rollout set to begin next month, there is still a long way to go.

The MHRA confirmed Monday that it had received the data necessary to advance its review of whether the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine meets the required standards.

The UK has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer jab and expects 10 million doses by the end of the year.

Britain also ordered 100 million doses of a vaccine from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, which does not need to be kept at such low temperatures.

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The jab and has also been submitted to the MHRA for approval, and could receive a green light next week, according to government sources.

Senior health officials previously said that GPs in England will receive a 10-day notice before the launch of the Covid vaccine begins.

A letter from Dr Nikki Kanani, NHS England Chief Medical Officer, and Ed Waller, NHS England Director of Primary Care, also thanked GPs for their efforts during the pandemic and praised their ‘fantastic response’ ‘to the creation of vaccination sites.

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