The BMA, which described regulatory approval for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine as an “incredible achievement”, nevertheless noted that the first approved vaccine represents “logistical challenges in terms of storage and immunising patients”.
The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine needs to be stored at minus 70 degrees centigrade, and requires precise storage conditions not available at most PCNs.
The storage and distribution of the Pfizer BioNTech requires additional safety approval yet to be given. Only hospitals and specialist labs are expected to be able to handle the logistics of administering this vaccine.
Although subsequent vaccines expected to be approved – such as the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine – will require less complex storage and distribution requirements, some GP practices who have indicated a willingness to participate in national roll-out plans, have told the BMA they are trying to make plans without any detail coming from the NHS or the DHSC.
A question of scale
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, while welcoming news of the Pfizer BioNTECH official approval, said the government and NHS England “must not underestimate the scale of the challenges” ahead.
Dr Nagpaul added: “We need to make sure staff have the resources and support in place to turn this scientific breakthrough into an operational success.”
Dr Vautrey said that following the DES at the beginning of November, practices had tried to put in place arrangements so that they were ready to deliver vaccines once they were made available.
However, openDemocracy has learned that many GP practices have warned the NHS and the DHSC that their preparations have been severely limited because they did not know exactly what they were supposed to be preparing for.
With the Pfizer vaccine coming in vials of 980 doses and needing to be stored at minus 70 degrees centigrade, with only 5 movements authorised over a 72 hour timeframe, a military-style distribution operation is needed.
Another GP practice head contacted by openDemocracy said:
“This is not the kind of vaccine that could ever have been delivered by GPs, who are by nature, small, mobile and part of a community. So the DES should have come with caveats, then planning and collaboration could have followed.
“But once again there is division and little collaboration. This has wasted time, energy and resources and delayed the best possible implementation. We need a National Health Service that is national and is ‘a health service’, not constituent parts all floundering through lack of information.”
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