Logistics problem for covid vaccine in care homes

[nitram]

"But the nature of the Pfizer vaccine appears to have forced a rethink of who gets it first. Its composition means it should be moved only a limited number of times, experts believe, and as such it cannot easily be transported by healthcare staff such as GPs to care homes and older people’s private residences.

NHS officials believe that if it is moved more than four times it risks becoming unstable and ineffective. By the time it reaches UK hospitals, it will have been moved twice, from the Pfizer production plant in Belgium to storage hubs in Britain, and from those hubs to hospitals where it can be administered."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...pare-early-december-covid-vaccine-rollout-nhs .

 

[Kellyr]

Well this is typical isnt it!

 

[Melles Belles]

I believe the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine doesn’t need to be kept at such low temperatures so would be suitable for care-home residents once it’s approved. Hopefully very soon.
Better to know now rather than find it won’t work and then those in CHs are not adequately protected.
It is very annoying though.

 

[Palerider]

Hmm I was having a chat with a consultant colleague on Friday about the efficacy of the Oxford vaccine which realistically is taken at 62% (the lower end of the studies findings) -I am not sure this would be suitable for those older and more frail? Has anyone heard if the MHRA have licenced it yet? I can't find any update....

 

[Palerider]

I found this and posted it here in case anyone hasn't seen it:

[Withdrawn] JCVI: updated interim advice on priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination

www.gov.uk

There is a footnote that reads:

The final decision on the prioritisation for health and social care workers will be dependent on vaccine characteristics and the epidemiology at the start of any programme ​

 

[Louise7]

Hmm I was having a chat with a consultant colleague on Friday about the efficacy of the Oxford vaccine which realistically is taken at 62% (the lower end of the studies findings) -I am not sure this would be suitable for those older and more frail? Has anyone heard if the MHRA have licenced it yet? I can't find any update....

Professor Peter Openshaw from Imperial college was on the Andrew Marr show this morning discussing the efficacy of the Astra zeneca vaccine and said that the MHRA have been actively studying data throughout the trials, and they need to make sure it is safe, but he thought that it would be licensed within the next 2 weeks. The interview is at 24.30 mins if you fancy a watch: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000pzkw/the-andrew-marr-show-29112020

 

[nitram]

MHRA have not licenced the Oxford vaccine.
There are reports that the half dose followed by full dose was not (accidently) tested on anyone over 55 and more testing may be required on this age group before licencing.

62% is a good efficacity compare to seasonal flu vaccines

Flu vaccine

vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk

Note that no data are shown for the elderly who could be a major cause of the lowered 'all ages'.
Seasonal flu protection can rely on herd immunity.

 

[Palerider]

Thanks guys. I've searched for the relevant paper but it has not been published yet on the Oxford trial. I did find a useful article in the BMJ which explains the situation simply enough for any lay person to read. I think the study numbers are sufficient but we will have to wait for the MHRA to make its decision on licencing the vaccine. here's the BMJ article:

Covid-19: Oxford vaccine is up to 90% effective, interim analysis indicates

The covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford is 90% effective when a person is initially given a half dose followed by a full dose, interim phase III trial results show. The analysis included 131 covid-19 cases and showed the vaccine was 62% effective when given as two...

www.bmj.com

 

[anxious annie]

Thanks for posting @nitram @Palerider @Louise7 , it's good to read all the information.
Just about says it all @Kellyr . My day gets better and better. Keep on with the fight to see our loved ones

 

[Palerider]

Just read this in a bulletin from the President of the RCP, the comments are encouraging but as he says we will have to wait:

There has been a bit of furore in the past week over the dosing of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. If you missed it there was a dosing error in the phase III trial that resulted in 2,741 of the participants receiving a ‘half-dose’ for the first of their two injections. This error has been explained as a problem with the process of how the concentration of vaccine was measured. We don’t know the details of this, only that the regulators were informed and the trial allowed to continue.

In a twist of medical fate this error has proven to be very fortuitous with the results in this group being better than for those who received two full doses: 90% versus 62%. We need to see the details of this study before being able to understand this fully and, while very promising, the interim results have been undermined somewhat by this situation.