West Suffolk Hospital addresses 'fast evolving situation' over coronavirus vaccine rollout
West Suffolk Hospital bosses have addressed the 'fast evolving situation' over the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine.
Dr Nick Jenkins, medical director for West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, spoke at the trust's board meeting today about the timescale for delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine for care homes and frontline NHS staff.
Dr Jenkins, who is leading the vaccine programme for the Bury St Edmunds hospital trust, said: "We would all like a clear and precise answer. The situation is evolving fast."
He noted the priority was care home residents and care home staff.
"Unfortunately because of the very complex cold chain requirements of the first vaccine and the small numbers we have guaranteed to arrive in the UK - 800,000 doses is actually 400,000 people because everyone who gets one gets a second one, 400,000 people doesn't go very far," he said.
"We will get some of that 400,000 in Suffolk and North East Essex."
He said Colchester Hospital will be the first to deliver the vaccine in the area, which is the only one of the three acute hospitals that has the freezer facilities which can store the vaccine at the required minus 80 degrees.
Colchester is likely to get some vaccine as early as next week.
Dr Jenkins said: "The plan right up until Wednesday evening was that we would be expected to prioritise administration to health and social care staff - that has now changed to the over 80s.
"It's going to be really quite difficult to get a large number of over 80s to Colchester Hospital and the vaccine can't travel. The patient has to travel to the vaccine.
"We would need people to go to Colchester Hospital. There will be some over 80s in Colchester Hospital and it's very likely they will be a priority group.
"Within a fortnight it's expected that the licensing restrictions on the vaccine will change so that the distribution can occur in smaller packages.
"At the moment you get 1,950 doses of the vaccine or you get none. There's only enough vaccine for 400,000 people - most primary care network areas couldn't accommodate the nearly 2,000 vaccines that all have to be given within five days."
He said: "Given the first site delivering the vaccine in SNEE (Suffolk and North East Essex) is going to be in North East Essex, it is extremely likely and our ambition that the first primary care network sites delivering the vaccine will be in Suffolk.
"I'm afraid it's a little bit of a situation at the moment where just as soon as you get ready for something and we were ready for a mass staff vaccination programme, the goalposts shift and things change but hopefully we'll have other vaccines licensed shortly."
Dr Jenkins added if the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine is licensed, it will provide millions of doses of vaccine, doesn't 'have anything like the cold-chain problems' and is 'much easier to deliver'.
"So it's exciting vaccination is beginning but we're a little way off mass vaccination yet," he said.
In his report to the board, Dr Steve Dunn, chief executive of the trust, said more than 100 staff had volunteered to help deliver the vaccination programme.
It was noted during the meeting that staff take-up of the flu vaccine has been lower this year.
As of November 24, the trust had delivered more than 3,300 vaccines, which represented 10 per cent fewer front line staff who have had the vaccine in 2020 compared with 2019.
The board was asked how the trust planned to encourage staff to take up the coronavirus vaccine given it's voluntary.
Dr Jenkins said initially there would be a limited amount of vaccine and there will be 'enough staff with their sleeves rolled up ready to take it and hopefully those people will champion the vaccine'.
Read more: All the latest news from Bury St Edmunds
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