A vaccination strategy is being prepared: who to vaccinate first, where to store the vaccine?



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Photo: Reuters

Photo: Reuters

According to assurances from the competent ministry, the vaccination strategy will soon be prepared. “The umbrella strategy for vaccination against covid-19 will be prepared within three weeks maximum and will be flexible. Against covidu-19,” reported by the ministry of health.

The proposed list of priorities has been prepared by the European Commission in its strategy and Member States will broadly follow these guidelines in their national vaccination strategies. “The first to think are nursing homes, people over the age of 60 with chronic diseases, health workers and employees of critical infrastructure”, they told the ministry.

The priority list of vaccinated people will be prepared in cascade, taking into account the nuances or indications of the medicines that will be known after obtaining a marketing authorization in the European Union, and according to the objectives set in the vaccination strategy, they say .

The state will receive the vaccine gradually from each vaccine manufacturer, presumably in four different consecutive shipments.

Vaccinations already in the first half of 2021?

Epidemiologists estimate that a vaccination of 60% of the EU population must be achieved for the economy to get started safely and for kindergartens, schools, cultural institutions and other parts of society to function smoothly. According to the forecasts of the manufacturers with whom the commission has reached an agreement, they expect a sufficient amount of the vaccine to be delivered in the first half of next year, which means that the required vaccination could be achieved in the first half of next year.

Epidemiologists estimate that a vaccination of 60% of the EU population is necessary for society to function safely.  Photo: Reuters

Epidemiologists estimate that a vaccination of 60% of the EU population is necessary for society to function safely. Photo: Reuters

Minister of Health Tomaž Gantar He assured that the ministry is not considering mandatory vaccination, but an important part of the strategy will be a communication plan to raise awareness of the importance of vaccination for the start-up of the economy and the good functioning of schools, cultural institutions and other parts of the company.

A big logistical bite

The national strategy will be divided into three sub-groups. For each of the vaccine platforms, the conditions for distribution, storage and preparation of the vaccine itself for vaccination will be different.

The storage temperature of one of the vaccines is the most demanding mRNA, which will require a temperature of minus 80 degrees Celsius from the place of manufacture to acceptance and up to the day of vaccination during distribution and storage to maintain quality and efficacy. It’s Pfeizer’s vaccine. This is a novelty and a logistical bite for all EU member states, according to the ministry.

Photo: Reuters

Photo: Reuters

The European Commission has agreed with Pfeizer to supply the vaccine in dry ice transport cartons to all Member States at designated collection points, which will maintain and maintain the required temperature. The Ministry has already had the first working meeting with the manufacturer, which was intended to clarify the technical specifications, i.e. what the manufacturer can provide until receipt of the vaccine and advise on how to proceed and work correctly with the vaccine until vaccination.

They have also already scheduled a collection point in Slovenia for the first quantity of the vaccine purchased. One of the Slovenian hospitals has a freezer that provides conditions for proper storage at the required temperature, according to the ministry.

The task of the working group is to determine, based on the analyzes, the number of vaccination centers to which the vaccines will be delivered and where they will be stored until vaccination is carried out. Vaccination centers will be distributed regionally and as many vaccination centers as there will be, as many smaller refrigerated freezers will have to be provided, as well as shipping cartons, to keep the vaccine at the vaccination site for quality, efficiency and safety.

For vector vaccines, it is expected that distribution and storage will be possible between two and eight degrees Celsius, which will greatly facilitate general logistics, preparation for vaccination and vaccination itself.

Conversation with Roman Jeralo about the vaccine

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