Vaccine Rollout being prepared to start in December

[RedToothBrush]

First the cavets.

Its 50:50 whether it will indeed be ready.

Priority given to over 85s and front line workers first.

www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/breaking-news/covid-vaccine-des-set-to-be-announced-imminently-for-december-start/
Exclusive: Covid vaccine DES set to be announced imminently for December start

Exclusive A new DES is set to be announced imminently for practices and PCNs to start administering a Covid vaccine from the beginning of December, Pulse understands.

Practices and PCNs will be asked to prepare to give the vaccine to over 85s and front line workers from the start of December, numerous sources have confirmed to Pulse.

There are currently two vaccines that are being prepared, with one requiring two shots and needing to be kept at minus 70 degrees.

Alongside GPs and PCNs, there will be teams delivering it to care homes, and at-scale delivery centres.

And

It remains unclear exactly which vaccines will be administered, but Pfizer’s vaccine in development has to be kept at minus 70 degrees, while the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine was shown to be more effective when administered in two doses.

@BenchHench

Will the vaccines a) prevent people from catching it, or, b) just reduce symptoms once people catch it?

Plus there are two different vaccines likely to be first available and many more likely to follow of different design so some will likely be better than others

Lots of likelys there

Following

I think I read that there are a few in the works that need to be kept at such temperatures and obviously that could pose a problem for some remote areas worldwide etc.

But I read that there are several that need to be kept at fridge temperature which is more commonplace with medications; and, therefore, less logistically tricky.

@StatisticalSense

Why don't they learn anything. It makes no sense to vaccinate care home residents first as they are effectively isolated from society in any case and isolating staff will be both more effective and also use less resources.

Two reasons really.

1. Care home residents will then be able to have visitors (assuming vaccine is effective or at least reduces symptoms)

1. Care home residents tend to be in the category that dies from Covid. Even though they are 'isolating' they have daily interactions with staff who could potentially infect them.

1. Care home residents fall ill or even fall and need urgent hospital care for other reasons so having had the vaccine (if it works) then should they need hospital care they have some protection.

The reputation of primary care has been damaged over the last 8 months, let's hope the GPs step up and get this thing rolled out.

How common is it that vaccines would need to be kept at minus 70 degrees? That sounds very, very cold to me

It does seem unusual. Vaccines are usually refrigerated.

Although I’m sure there’s a good reason beyond my understanding!

Nearly half of deaths have been in care homes, so fairly obvious (and logistically easier) to start there. I assume they will start with over 85s then move backwards through the age groups in accordance with risk. But also assume it would have little impact on hospitalisation until they got to over 60s.

Get them all lined up, all the over 80’s give them priority and the jab first then get us out of this shower of shit that is covid!!!! And get us back to normal life

@CrunchyCarrot

The Daily Mail article, quoting Chief executive Glen Burley:

The vaccine is expected to be given in two doses, 28 days apart.' He also urged his colleagues to ensure they had the flu jab by the end of November so that they could qualify for the Covid-19 vaccine

'so they could qualify for the Covid-19 vaccine' ???

So they won't give staff the Covid vaccine if they haven't had a flu shot? Or am I misunderstanding this?

There needs to be a time lag between the flu vaccine and COVID vaccine.

Why don't they learn anything. It makes no sense to vaccinate care home residents first as they are effectively isolated from society in any case and isolating staff will be both more effective and also use less resources.

Uhuh, which is why they are also doing front line workers.

There needs to be a time lag between the flu vaccine and COVID vaccine.

Thanks, I hadn't realised that.

Omg I hope this is correct as we need our lives back I am seeing so much mental health etc it is heartbreaking

Vaccines are definitely on the way.
The aim is that they will reduce severity of symptoms and then we’ll know fairly quickly if they also reduce transmission between people as transmission rates will start dropping.
It’s all good news, sit right through winter and we will be in a much better place come March/April. Both the Pfizer and AZ vaccines are going to report soon

@Oly4

Vaccines are definitely on the way. The aim is that they will reduce severity of symptoms and then we’ll know fairly quickly if they also reduce transmission between people as transmission rates will start dropping. It’s all good news, sit right through winter and we will be in a much better place come March/April. Both the Pfizer and AZ vaccines are going to report soon

👍😊

A tiny bit of liquid at minus 70 defrosts very quickly. Supplying GPs with -70 freezers on the other hand...

I thought that elderly people don't have a good immune response to a vaccine. I wonder if they are guinea pigs?

No of course not
They are trying to protect the most vulnerable first.
It's the only sensible thing to do.
If it works at all then it will be some help.

This is correct. NHS trusts have been told to prepare to roll out the vaccine to staff and certain groups from 1 December. However there is no guarantee it will be ready, but we're expected to have plans in place and be ready to launch if it is.

There are two possible vaccines, you need a gap of one months between the flu jab and the Covid vaccine. Both jabs require two doss, with a gap of 3 to 4 weeks between the two. The vaccines need to be stored at -60 degrees, so there's a lot of logistics to consider. Plus the question of who will deliver the vaccines when our qualified nurses are so busy with Covid and keeping all other services going.

Transportation and storage of a vaccine at -70 degrees will require quite a lot of work. Normal clinical settings will not have vast amounts of storage at that temperature. Transport will be another mammoth task I would think.

@LabiaMinoraPissusFlapus

I thought that elderly people don't have a good immune response to a vaccine. I wonder if they are guinea pigs?

The Oxford vaccine has been shown to improve immunity in the elderly www.ft.com/content/b15446e5-66f7-4e6a-947a-1b638769ff79 This is just fantastic news. Well done to everyone involved.

@110APiccadilly

How common is it that vaccines would need to be kept at minus 70 degrees? That sounds very, very cold to me. Just wondering about whether the infrastructure would be in place for mass rollout of that one or whether they'd need a mass rollout of freezers first!!

You'd kind of hope this would have been taken into account.

Does it say which vaccine? It's great that everyone is preparing for the possibility that there will be a vaccine. That makes sense. But now what we need is some actual results from a vaccine trial.

Does it say which vaccine? It's great that everyone is preparing for the possibility that there will be a vaccine. That makes sense. But now what we need is some actual results from a vaccine trial.