Second vaccine doses arrive as first batch completed with minimal wastage

ANOTHER batch of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine arrived in the Bailiwick last week to provide the second dose for the first cohort of vaccinated healthcare staff.

Once taken from the -70 storage freezer, the vaccine can only be stored for 5 days. As a result, the vaccinators ran the vaccine clinics from 17 to 20 December for the first cohort. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 29047972)

The roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination programme began on 17 December following the arrival of the first batch of 975 doses.

Once taken from the -70C storage freezer, the vaccine can only be stored for five days, meaning the vaccinators ran the vaccine clinics from Thursday to Sunday for the first cohort.

Of the 975 vaccine doses available, 968 vaccine doses were delivered.

The vaccine is provided with an assumed 20% wastage for every 975 doses but the Guernsey programme only had seven unused doses, which is 0.7% wastage.

The first person to receive the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was Dr Sue Fleming, Matron of St John's residential home. Jo Rocha, Health Protection Nurse administers the vaccine. (Picture by Peter Frnakland, 29047976)

The 968 doses were administered to:

350 care home staff
50 Medical Specialist Group frontline staff
30 Primary Care doctors and nurses
25 Dentists and hygienists
25 paramedics, ambulance technicians and first responders
30 Alderney and Sark health workers
328 Acute staff/mental health ward staff/and Allied Health Professionals
130 Social care staff, including district nurses, domiciliary care staff and private carers

Vaccinators for the first group were made up of specialist public health nurses, including school nurses and health visitors, together with HSC ward and community staff, nurses, doctors and midwives.

Director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink said the roll-out was extremely successful and the atmosphere at the end of the last clinic was one of great satisfaction.

'We were able to maximise delivery of the doses we received in the first delivery with staff in the hospital being canvassed at the end of the clinic to ensure all doses could be used,' she said.

'We have had excellent uptake from those who have been offered the vaccine so far [and] no-one who has received the vaccine so far has experienced any adverse reactions.'

She thanked vaccinators and admin staff who made this possible in a short time-frame.

The roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination programme commenced on 17th December 2020 following the arrival of the first consignment of 975 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 29047990)

For the vaccine to work, it needs to be administered in two doses 21 days apart.

The second dose for the first cohort [another 975 doses] has arrived in the island and further consignments of this vaccine will be delivered to the Bailiwick in January.

As other candidate vaccines are given approval for use by the MHRA, they will be considered by Health & Social Care for use in the Bailiwick.

If it is approved for use in the Bailiwick, HSC's procurement teams will ensure that the island receives its agreed allocation of vaccines from the UK and it will be supplied using tried and tested supply chains.