Revealed: How vaccine centres will operate – once they eventually open
:: Vaccination of over-70s to take until late May
WHEN, where and how will I get my Covid19 vaccine? For the 490,000 people over 70, vaccination will start next week – beginning with those aged 85 and older.
GPs say they are primed and ready to vaccinate their patients whenever they get their supply of jabs.
Here’s what patients can expect.
GP link
The GP is the main link for over-70s eligible for the vaccine. GPs will make contact with their own patients from their list in advance of vaccination day. They will be told when to come for their appointment and what to do.
They are likely to get a text or phone call in advance. Only those patients on the list can be vaccinated. The entire process is free to the patient and GPs will be paid by the HSE.
Over-85s
The first stage of the roll-out, beginning next week, applies only to 72,000 people aged 85 and older. So if it’s a case that a husband has been called and he is driven to the doctor’s surgery by his wife who is 84 years old, she will not qualify at that point.
There will be strict adherence to prioritising people in each cohort. After the over-85s, the next will be those aged 80 to 84, then it moves to 75 to 79 and finally the 70-to-74 age group.
Helix Theatre
The vaccinations will be administered in one of three locations. GPs who have more than 200 over-70s patients will vaccinate them at their own practice.
Those with smaller lists, in some rural areas, will join up with another GP so the patient could go to a different surgery.
In urban areas and cities where GPs have limited numbers of over-70s patients, they will get together in a central site such as the Helix at Dublin City University. The centre in Cork is at City Hall and will operate for over-85s on Saturday, February 27; there will also be one in Galway. They will be split into different bays.
The first session in the Helix will be on Saturday week, catering for 1,600 patients from 21 practices. The patient’s own GPs give the jab. Twenty UCD medical students have volunteered to be ushers.
Some GPs are querying whether they can use hotels or community halls, but this is unlikely to be allowed because of the safety rules around the vaccine after dilution.
Vaccines
People will get either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, which must be given in two doses 28 days apart.
The Pfizer vaccine must be kept at a very low temperature, but it can be held in the GP surgery for five days. Once it is mixed, it must be used within six hours, meaning patients will need to be punctual.
A reserve list of patients must be available in case of anyone not attending. Supplies will be delivered to 85 large practices next week and to the Helix clinic on the Saturday.
In the second week, 384 practices will carry out vaccinations followed by the Cork City Hall vaccinations. It is all dependent on the supply of vaccine, so there could be changes to the schedule. The hope is to have the over-85s given their first dose over three weeks. The entire rollout to the over-70s could take until late May.
Etiquette
Some doctors may advise their patients to wear something short-sleeved under their other clothing. People may be asked to wait in their car before they are called.
In the larger centres, there will be a registration area confirming the patient’s identity and other details. This will also be done in GP practices. Patients will be shown to the vaccination area.
There will be an observation room where the patient will stay for up to 15 minutes after vaccination, in case they have a reaction. This will be supervised by a nurse or doctor in the larger centres.
Gardaí may be involved in dealing with traffic outside the large centres and there will be ambulance volunteers on-site.
Housebound
The vaccine cannot be taken into homes, so patients must be brought to the surgery or vaccination centre. GPs will know who these patients are and the HSE is expected to organise transport.