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The HSE is extending the interval between the first and second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine from 21 to 28 days in a move that will extend the benefits of the vaccine to more people.
In a letter on Thursday, the HSE management was informed that the interval was extended to 28 days for “anyone who receives their first dose of this vaccine from Monday, January 18, 2021”.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the only Covid-19 vaccine administered in the state, is about 52% effective after the first dose, according to data released by Pfizer last month.
Extending the interval between doses will mean that there will be more first doses of vaccine available to administer to frontline healthcare workers in hospitals and residents and nursing home staff who are all vaccinated in the early stages of the vaccination program.
The HSE said the National Advisory Committee on Immunization updated its advice on the dose interval for the vaccine in guidelines released on Wednesday. The guidelines show that the vaccination cycle consists of two doses spaced 21 to 28 days apart.
“If the interval between doses is longer than 28 days, the second dose should still be given as soon as possible. The course does not need to be restarted, ”the guidelines say.
All long-term care facilities will receive new information brochures to enable them to notify residents and staff of the change and the follow-up brochures are updated with the changes.
“It is vitally important that all stocks of old information documents and tracking leaflets are withdrawn from circulation so that they can no longer be used from January 18,” states the HSE letter from Managing Director David Walsh at the head of the health service.
“The vaccinator must confirm to the recipient at the time of vaccination that their second dose is due 28 days after the first dose. The schedules for the second dose of immunizations should be updated accordingly. “
A spokeswoman for the HSE told The Irish Times the move “will allow us to maximize our resources and vaccinate more people as new vaccine supplies arrive in the country.”
“For those who have already received their first dose, they will still receive their second dose as originally planned, and will not be affected by the change.
“This new change will have no impact on the protection it [the vaccine] offers, ”she added.
Management of nursing homes, staff and residents’ relatives have called for an acceleration of the vaccination program to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as the high level of the virus in the community leads to an increase in the number of epidemics in care. facilities.
The HSE said this week that there have been 142 nursing home homes and that it is monitoring 103 closely. Including all long-term care facilities, there are 279 open outbreaks.
The number of new outbreaks in nursing homes more than doubled to 52 last week.
Nursing home managers and nursing home resident advocates fear the vaccine could be given in long-term care facilities battling epidemics where there are 50 residents and more than 80% have Covid.
The vaccine cannot be given to anyone who has a Covid infection or who has had an infection, showed symptoms, or tested positive in the previous four weeks.
Protection against a first dose of the vaccine does not take effect for at least 12 days, and the single dose is significantly less protective than two. There is 95% protection against two doses.
The HSE said this week that more than 77,000 Covid-19 vaccines have been administered, including 69,378 vaccinations for frontline health workers.
Another 47,600 vaccinations are scheduled for next week, of which around 3,900 will receive their second vaccination in the previous 21-day interval.
First dose
As of January 13, 77,303 people had received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the government Covid-19 Data Hub Website, which states that the page will be “regularly updated”.
It emerged on Thursday that the deployment of vaccines in nursing homes was being recorded with pen and paper, as the computer system to manage the vaccination program was not in place. Independent TD Cathal Berry, who is also a medical doctor, told Dáil that “in fact, we’re combining cutting edge 21st century vaccine medicine with a 13th century way to record it, which is just pencil and paper. “. Tánaist Leo Varadkar acknowledged that vaccination in nursing homes and health care facilities was “an exercise with pen and paper at the moment”. He said an information technology (IT) system was delivered to the HSE at the end of December. “We will really need the computer system when we go to GPs and pharmacies. I’m told we’ll be ready when needed, which is probably next month. “
In a briefing Thursday afternoon, HSE chief executive Paul Reid said 69,378 of the vaccines had been received by frontline health workers and 7,925 were received by people in healthcare facilities. long-term care.
The government expects at least four million people in the state to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of September.
Updated projections sent by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to TDs on Wednesday evening indicate that while 700,000 people will be vaccinated by the end of March, the state now expects to receive some 3.7 million doses between April and end of June and an additional 3.8 million. between July and the end of September. That would mean that at least 4 million people could be vaccinated by then.
Most adults, however, are expected to be vaccinated by the end of the summer, once additional vaccines are approved by the European Medicines Agency in the coming weeks.
Ireland began vaccinating its population at the end of December using the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
Tuesday afternoon, the first delivery of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine arrived in the country. Ireland has pre-ordered 875,000 doses of the vaccine.
On Twitter, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the first delivery was small, but “every vaccine counts.”
The Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine entered the final stages of the approval process during the week, according to the European Medicines Agency. A press release from the agency indicates that a marketing authorization notice could be issued by January 29.
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