The government has announced how it will administer its stock of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The strategy prioritises those over the age of 65 living in long-term care facilities, frontline healthcare workers who are in direct patient contact and those aged 70 and over.
A statement from the Department of Health says "The COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy prioritises groups based on (1) ethical principles and (2) epidemiological considerations, and takes account of the current distinctive characteristics of the COVID-19 disease, its modes of transmission, the groups and individuals most susceptible to infection and what is currently known about the candidate vaccines.
"The Strategy will evolve and adapt with more detailed information on the vaccines and their effectiveness."
The government has also announced the companies and amounts in which Advanced Purchase Agreements (APAs) have been entered into.
3.3 million doses of the AstraZeneca/OU vaccine have been ordered, with 2.2 million from Janssen J&J, 2.3 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNtech have been ordered, while 880,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine to also be ordered. While the numbers from the CureVac vaccine are yet to be confirmed.
The first group are Adults aged ≥65 years who are residents of long-term care facilities, with 56% of deaths in the first wave occurring in this setting.
Frontline healthcare workers, who are in direct patient contact or risk exposure are in the second group, with over 30% of cases in the first wave reported among these workers.
Meanwhile there are distinctions between those in certain age categories who are at high-risk of severe disease, and those without any underlying health conditions.
You can read the report, with categories, in full by clicking here.
Additional reporting from James Cox
Irish company Pharmapod is in the final stages of developing a cloud-based solution for administering the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine globally and it will be ready for use if the Government needs it when the vaccine is available in Ireland early next year.
Pharmapod’s founder and chief executive Leonora O’Brien told BreakingNews.ie that her company has been in contact with Government stakeholders, adding that it would be the “ideal tool” if selected by the Covid-19 taskforce.
The system will streamline the process of administering the vaccine by allowing patients to book their vaccination appointment, providing real-time information to healthcare professionals and their organisations, as well as businesses and public health bodies.
Pharmapod has developed a system to track progress and data for the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Ms O'Brien said: “We already have a robust, mature infrastructure in place so it's not like starting from scratch on this.
“We know the taskforce is meeting to put together a plan for Government, this is the ideal tool to use because it is cloud-based and because they can have that real time data. We're engaging with Government stakeholders currently, so we would be delighted to offer the service.
“We'll see how the taskforce goes and what the findings are, but we're engaged with Government stakeholders, we do that internationally. We have had Government clients before, regulatory clients as well as direct to healthcare professionals and organisations.”
Ms O'Brien's background is as a pharmacist, and she feels pharmacies could be useful in the roll-out of the vaccine. However, she said Pharmapod's software will be available to anyone tasked with vaccine roll-out.
Pfizer vaccine
“Not every pharmacy would be able to facilitate the first Pfizer vaccine, for example, because of the temperature requirements, so they'd have to meet certain criteria.
“Our system will be able to be used by any healthcare professional providing the vaccine.
“Nurses, GPs, every country will vary. In some countries, the pharmacy is your first port of call for a lot of vaccination and immunisation campaigns, so we've approached the software with an agile view and it can be tailored to local requirements.
“Pharmacies are properly part of the frontline narrative. When a lot of surgeries were appointment by phone only, pharmacies were still open, they keep that medical supply chain safe for the vulnerable and elderly in society.
“They took the burden of the cost of deliveries on themselves for the most part. They can legally vaccinate already, they are an under-utilised resource and it's been fantastic during the pandemic to shine a light on how critical pharmacies are.
“Our solution will be usable by any healthcare professional involved in the roll-out, especially because this will be a two-dose vaccine. The multi-dose scheduling is facilitated on the system. That will be critical because if you're not getting the booster vaccine when you need it that would be a huge issue, it needs to be on time.”
Side effects
Pharmapod's cloud solution will offer public health officials a tool to track the roll-out of the vaccine and log any possible side effects in real time so this information can be relayed to pharmaceutical companies and doctors.
The company's system for reducing medication errors has been used in a number of countries and Ms O'Brien anticipates their vaccine roll-out system will also be international.
However, she hopes it will be able to aid in the effort in Ireland.
Pharmapod's system can help to track information about vaccine roll-out in real time.
“There'll be alerts on the system to remind patients, keep those records secure and report any potential side effects and feed them back to manufacturers quickly.
“Over 60 per cent of pharmacies in Canada already utilise Pharamapod solutions. We've just entered the US market during the pandemic, we have a strong track record internationally.
“However, you also want to make sure you're contributing to the roll-out in your own country.
“It's all there, we are ready. Software takes a long time to develop, but we're well ahead and would be delighted to contribute to the roll-out.”
