Vaccine rollout set to pick up pace
More manageable Moderna shots easier to transport and distribute
The imminent approval of the Moderna vaccine in Canada is good news for British Columbia because it will be easier to transport and distribute than the first vaccine from Pfizer.
The Pfizer vaccine, which is being slowly distributed in B.C. now, must be stored at -70 degrees Celsius, while the Moderna vaccine can be stored at -20 C and can also be kept at fridge temperatures for up to a week. “The refrigeration of Moderna is much more manageable than Pfizer,” says Mahesh Nagarajan, a professor in the Sauder School of Business at the University of B.C.
Nagarajan, who has expertise in the vaccine supply chain and distribution, said because the Moderna vaccine can be stored at more modest temperatures, it will be much easier to deliver to long-term care homes and isolated communities. Canada is already gearing up to ship doses of the Moderna vaccine across the country on anticipated Health Canada approval.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration just approved the Moderna vaccine on Thursday.
B.C. took delivery of 4,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week — but at this point, the vaccine can be administered at only one clinic each in health care facilities in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health regions.
The province has plans to ramp up clinics to nine locations in each of the health regions in the province and eventually to 30 locations.
The province has laid out a phased plan to administer the vaccine based on a priority of protecting lives and the health care system.
At the top of the list are health care workers in long-term care homes where the death toll has been the highest and on the front lines in hospitals. Next in line are people living in long-term care homes.
Also on the priority list are the elderly, starting with those aged 80 and over, the homeless and those in shelters, as well as isolated communities, including First Nations communities.
Nagarajan said the priority list makes sense — particularly as you wouldn't want doctors and nurses to be incapacitated by the coronavirus. But he said it's also important to think not just about age as a factor for priority and also include people that may have underlying health conditions that make them more susceptible to the
virus, which could be a particular concern in First Nations communities, he said.
The imminent approval of the Moderna vaccine will be important to those First Nation communities, said Nagarajan.
At a briefing on Thursday, B.C.'s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said 1,215 health care workers had been vaccinated so far .
Henry said provincial health officials are working out with Pfizer
whether its vaccine can be safely delivered to another location from its initial delivery point. But if the Moderna vaccine is approved before that happens, it will be used to inoculate long-term care residents, she said.
In total, Canada has reached agreements with seven vaccine manufacturers for more than 400 million vaccine doses.
Canada has contracted to receive two million doses from Moderna by the end of March, and 40 million by the end of 2021. Nagarajan noted that it's probably good that vaccine distribution is rolling out slowly in B.C.
There are numerous issues to be tackled including whether they'll be distributed through clinics, scheduled appointments, or something similar to the drive-thru COVID-19 testing centres, and also how to track and monitor the rollout, said Nagarajan.
All of those ideas are being considered, said Henry, who stressed that the province will have a way to communicate and notify people who are eligible for the vaccine.
The United Kingdom and the United States have also approved the Pfizer vaccine and have begun inoculating people.
The U.K., in a manner similar to Canada, has developed a phased program for who will be the priority to get inoculated that includes front-line health care workers and people aged 80 and over in hospitals.
The U.S. is also expected to give the first vaccines to high-risk health care workers and residents of nursing homes.