Highland hospitals chosen as storage bases for Covid-19 vaccine; 'Don't phone GP practices yet', doctor urges as plans for mass vaccination drawn up
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The three main hospitals in the Highlands have been chosen as storage bases for the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid vaccine as the programme begins to be rolled out across the region this week, a GP has revealed.
Dr Iain Kennedy, the secretary of the Highland Medical Committee added that Highland GPs are keen to be involved in the vaccination programme and would likely play a role in January.
Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old woman in Coventry, became the very first person in the UK to get the vaccine not as part of a clinical trial – she turns 91 soon and described it as the best early birthday present.
Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, Caithness General in Wick and Belford Hospital in Fort William will all house the Pfizer-BioNtech, which needs to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures as low as -70C to maintain its efficacy.
However, Dr Kennedy said there were promising signs that it could be more adaptable than previously thought, meaning that there is a possibility at least that people might not have to travel too far to get it.
“Speaking as the Highland Medical Committee secretary here, I am looking forward to Highland GPs working with our nursing and other colleagues in NHS Highland to deliver the Covid vaccine to the population,” he said.
“The Pfizer vaccine arrives in the Highlands this week and the priority groups for receiving will be care homes for older adults and their carers and also those aged 80 and over, front line health and social care workers.
“As people are beginning to know, this vaccine needs to be kept in low temperature fridges at around minus 70 degrees so the vaccine will be stored at Raigmore Hospital, Caithness General and the Belford.
“It can however travel for up to 12 hours after it is removed from its packaging and made up and diluted it can be used over a five day period."
It is possible that GPs will play a bigger role when the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is expected to be made available in January – if it is passed for mass use – as it can be stored at fridge temperatures so almost any medical facility can store it.
“We expect the GPs will be much more involved in January when the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine arrives.
“And the good news is that in the Highland is that more than 90 per cent of our Highland LMC member practices have indicated that they want to be directly involved in giving the Covid vaccines.”
Dr Kennedy also has great confidence in the ability of the health board to deliver the double doses required for the Covid inoculation to the people of the Highlands because of the success in rolling out the flu vaccine.
“We start from a good foundation. The Highland flu vaccination programme is extremely successful where GP practices, community nurses, school nurses and other health board colleagues have delivered a higher flu vaccine uptake than ever before and in a shorter time period.
“So NHS Highland is in a particularly good position to deliver the Covid vaccine, this contrasts with other areas of Scotland where vaccine delivery is much more reliant on health boards alone.
“I am looking forward to having the vaccine myself to reduce the risk of me transmitting the virus itself between patients but as yet I don’t have an appointment for that but it is really important that all front line health and social care workers get the vaccine and that all patients take up the opportunity when they are invited.
“It is really important that people don’t start phoning their GP practices now and wait for more information to be forthcoming.”
