In the United Kingdom, nearly two weeks have passed since the vaccination of the new coronavirus developed by American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and others began.
At the site, in order to expedite vaccination, we are busy managing vaccines at low temperatures and preparing for allergic reactions.
In the UK, vaccination against the new coronavirus developed by Pfizer and the German company Biontech began on the 8th of this month.
Vaccines are stored frozen at a low temperature of around minus 70 degrees Celsius and transported, but if the temperature is set to 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for inoculation, the storage period will be 5 days.
For this reason, in England, 50 large hospitals with temperature control have begun to inoculate elderly people aged 80 and over, care workers working in facilities for the elderly, and healthcare professionals who are eligible for priority vaccination. It was.
Furthermore, from the 14th of this month, it will be possible to inoculate local elderly people at more than 100 places such as local clinics, and the clinic will contact the elderly people every minute so that the vaccine can be used up within the storage period. It means that we are adjusting the schedule of.
However, there are some elderly people who have difficulty getting in touch or cannot come to the clinic on their own, and in some cases they ask local volunteers to pick them up.
Furthermore, among those who are eligible for priority vaccination, many of those who live in facilities for the elderly have not yet started vaccination.
This is because we have not yet prepared a system to manage the vaccine at a low temperature and use it up within the deadline.
Meanwhile, on the first day of vaccination, two medical staff in the United Kingdom showed symptoms of a severe allergic reaction called "anaphylaxis," and regulators had similar symptoms with vaccines, drugs, and food in the past. For those who have had it, I was forced to take measures such as issuing a recommendation to medical personnel not to take this vaccine.
In the UK, it is expected that it will take several months just to finish vaccination of people who are targeted for priority vaccination, and as the infection of the new coronavirus spreads, how efficiently and widely vaccination will be promoted. The issue is how to get there.
Response to allergic reactions and facilities for the elderly
In the UK, on the first day of vaccination, two medical staff members showed a severe allergic reaction called "anaphylaxis" after vaccination.
For this reason, regulators have recommended that people who have had similar symptoms with vaccines, drugs, and food in the past should not be vaccinated, and those who have been vaccinated for 15 minutes after vaccination. We took measures such as observing the physical condition and always having a remedy in case of an allergic reaction, so that we could prepare for immediate response.
On the other hand, among those who have been the subject of priority vaccination, for residents of nursing homes, many that more than 10 days from the inoculation start right now we do not have standing the prospect of inoculation.
It means that the vaccine is managed at a low temperature, but it is not yet ready to be used up within the deadline.
At a facility for the elderly with 58 people in the suburbs of London, we are having a meeting with a doctor at a nearby clinic to come to the facility for vaccination, but the specific date has not yet been decided. Says.
At this facility, 11 and 4 staff members became infected when the infection spread in the fall, and some staff members became afraid to care for the infected residents.
The facility's manager, Kelly Huxtable, said, "It was a difficult situation for the staff to be very nervous. I don't know exactly when the vaccination will be, but I want them to be received as soon as possible."
At the clinic in the area where the vaccination started
At a regional clinic in Southern Reading, vaccinations for seniors over 80 and medical personnel began on the 15th of this month.
The clinic's waiting room has a vaccination venue that attracts 5 or 6 people at a time.
After being asked about their physical condition by the staff, they were vaccinated one after another, and about 60 people were vaccinated every hour.
The staff is busy preparing and explaining the vaccine, and in the four days until the 18th of this month, one box of vaccine, about 1000 doses, was used up.
The vaccine is delivered in a box containing about 1000 doses thawed 2 to 8 degrees, so this clinic keeps it in a medical refrigerator.
The shelf life of the vaccine at 2 to 8 degrees is 5 days, but it takes about 3 and a half days to use up because it takes time to transport.
In order to efficiently inoculate nearly 1000 people, we will determine the target person based on the age of the patient registered in the medical system, contact them, and adjust the schedule.
Many elderly people do not use the Internet, and they sometimes explain the vaccination by telephone or visit, and ask local volunteers to pick them up for those who have difficulty coming to receive the vaccination on their own. It is said that there are times.
I made a lot of reservations and made a plan, but the number of people who canceled it was 3 in 4 days.
An 81-year-old man who received the vaccination said, "I was happy when I was informed that I could get the vaccination. There was no problem with the vaccination." , Inoculation will be a safe material. "
Clinic doctor James Kennedy said, "I was able to use up this amount within the deadline. The elderly people who received the vaccination had their physical abilities deteriorated due to the effects of being locked up at home due to restrictions on going out. It seems that more and more people are afraid to talk to people and lose their confidence in their mental health, "he said, expressing concern about the long-term effects on his mental and physical health.
World approval / permission status
According to the health authorities of each country, the new coronavirus vaccine developed by American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German company Biontech has so far been used in the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, the United States, Singapore, Chile, Switzerland and Israel. Emergency use is permitted in at least 10 countries.
Meanwhile, Moderna's vaccine has been licensed for emergency use in the United States, and EU regulators are considering a license on January 6, next year.