When we have mass exercises like vaccination, it is easy to make various mistakes.
We are all human after all.
Hence, it is important to have protocols in place which help to reduce the inevitable human errors.
One process by the Raffles Medical Group is very good.
One person is in charge of dilution and pre-loading the syringes.
Get a fresh vial from a cooler bag on a separate table.
Add right amount of saline to dilute the thawed vial of 5 doses.
Rotate vial 10 times to ensure proper and even mixing of vaccine concentrate and saline.
Draw the right amount into a vaccination syringe.
Insert the fine vaccination needle, and prep the syringe to be ready for injection.
Place syringe in kidney-shaped tray.
Repeat another 4 times.
Total of 5 prepared pre-loaded syringes in one kidney tray – this tray is then placed in another cooler bag on the syringe pre-loading table.
Neat.
From dilution, mixing to pre-loading at one station.
At the vaccination stations, after welcoming the vaccinee, double checking the identity, and putting them at ease, the healthcare worker aka HCW takes one syringe from the tray, double checks the pre-loaded volume, and proceeds with the vaccination.
When the vaccinating HCWs finish each tray of 5 syringes, they go to the pre-loading table to collect another tray of 5 freshly filled syringes.
This way, the pre-loading process is distinct and separate from the vaccination process.
This will reduce the load on the vaccinating HCW to focus on vaccinee engagement and ensure vaccination with a properly prepped syringe.
The dilution and syringe pre-loading is at a separate station – this helps work up consistency for dilution, mixing and pre-loading.
If the vaccination volume goes up, we can further split the dilution and mixing from the preloading if needed.
Sure, there can be other minor improvements, based on ground experience and ops requirements.
With the Moderna vaccine now approved, we expect shipments of Moderna vaccines to start arriving in Singapore around March/April.
Our pre-orders for Moderna vaccines are expected to come from Europe.
Meanwhile, we are watching the Pfizer plant upgrading in Belgium where our BionTech-Pfizer vaccines are coming from.
Pfizer is upgrading their Belgium plant to expand their production capacity.
As a result, deliveries slowed to Singapore and elsewhere.
Once upgrading is completed on schedule, they would need to complete more checks and processes, like testing and recommissioning as these facilities are all compliant with various medical production standards.
Once production can restart, we should expect deliveries to get back on track, including catch up deliveries.
The next BionTech-Pfizer shipment is expected after CNY.
Thereafter, as and when deliveries step up, we can then step up our vaccination pace and outreach.
As the schedule stands, we can expect that we will soon open up invitations to the folks in their 60s and their 50s, and move progressively down the younger and younger age groups.
This is on the basis of age based risk of Covid complications. This is bcos the older folks are at much greater risk of serious complications when they are hit by Covid, compared to younger folks.
Meanwhile, we continue to open up on a parallel track based on risk of exposure.
For this, we start with the highest risk of exposure like HCWs in hospitals, ambulance staff, SHN hotel staff, or researchers working on Covid, etc.
And then we move progressively to others with clear but lower risks of exposure.
A third track are our essential services workers, who would include our SAF, SCDF, etc.
A fourth track would include our dorm residents, who could be at great risk of forming a large uncontrolled cluster.
Meanwhile, do remember that being vaccinated means greater protection against serious Covid illnesses.
However, being vaccinated does not mean we cannot be silent carriers.
There are signs that the vaccines may prevent us from being silent carriers, but the data is not out yet.
So it is better to continue to stay mask, wash hands, maintain safe distance, even after we have completed our 2-shot vaccinations, so that we reduce our risk of becoming silent carriers to infect others.
Please note that it takes at least 2 weeks after each shot for our immune system to produce our defensive arsenal of various antibodies and infection killer cells.
So even after our 1st shot, we remain at risk of being infected by Covid and suffering serious illness, esp during the immediate 2 weeks.
After 2 weeks, only half of us will mount a reasonable arsenal of immune weapons.
Only after 1-2 weeks after the 2nd shot, will we see 95% of us with good to excellent arsenal, while 5% may still not have the required level of protection.
So don’t go partying recklessly after our 1st shot, or even after our 2nd shot.
Keep well, stay safe.
