The commissioner for the Coronavirus emergency, Domenico Arcuri, draws up the first national guidelines regarding the anti-Covid vaccine plan. According to Arcuri, at the end of January in Italy we will have 3,4 million doses of the anti-Covid vaccine, to be allocated first to hospitals and nursing homes. And, moreover, a large-scale campaign will be launched, favoring weaker subjects first.
This is what was pointed out in a communication sent by the commissioner Dominic Arcuri to the Regions and, for information, to the Ministers of Health and Regional Affairs.
Commissioner Arcuri draws up the anti-Covid vaccine plan
“As is well known - explains Arcuri in his communication to the Regions - Italy has joined the EU initiative for the purchase of the largest possible portfolio of vaccines. The former could be available as early as the first months of next year. In particular - writes the commissioner - the Pfizer vaccine, whose validation process seems to be the most advanced, would allow Italy to have around 2021 million doses already by the end of January 3,4. These could be administered immediately to 1,7 million people. It is therefore necessary to choose the target of citizens to whom to administer the first available doses ".
Priority to hospitals and RSA
"It appears a priority - writes Arcuri - to safeguard those places that during the pandemic represented the main channel of contagion and spread of the virus, starting from hospitals and residential facilities for the elderly ". “For the other upcoming vaccines, intended for all other categories of citizens, different methods of administration will be envisaged. This, in line with ordinary vaccination management, through a large-scale campaign (eg drive-through). Naturally we will start with people with a high level of frailty ".
Anti-Covid vaccine plan: the Regions get to work right now
Commissioner Arcuri asks the Regions to start working on the anti-Covid vaccine plan, already starting to identify the most suitable structures. Notices must be sent by 23 November next. “In order to define the feasibility plan for this first phase of administration - specifies Arcuri - it is necessary that the regions identify suitable structures in each province.
That is, structures capable of respecting the constraints relating to the delivery, storage and administration of the vaccines themselves ". By November 23rd the regions they must communicate “for each province, the number and name of the hospitals within which it is considered useful for the vaccine to be delivered and administered. This hospital unit must be able to vaccinate at least 2 thousand or more people but with multiples of 1000 in 15 days".
