Even family doctors take the field for the vaccination campaign in Emilia-Romagna through the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Region and the trade union representatives of general practitioners have in fact reached an Agreement on their involvement in the regional immunization program, which follows the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government, Regions and trade unions relating to the national campaign.
Agreement that was illustrated and shared by the Region both to school unions and to associations of people with disabilities.
Among those currently available, the AstraZeneca vaccine for storage modalities is the only one that can be used in general medicine. Furthermore, there are well-founded probabilities that the expected clarification of Aifa regarding its use will arrive in the next few days, with the green light for use on people up to 65 years of age even with pathologies or conditions that are not associated with very high risk of Covid-19 infection. The new indications, which derive from the greater data available, make it possible to expand the number of subjects that can be vaccinated immediately, in particular by involving people with disabilities. Even if the formalization has not yet taken place, but is expected in these hours, it was decided to immediately create the conditions to launch the offer to subjects who deserve maximum attention as quickly as possible.
In February, about 80,000 AstraZeneca doses are available in Emilia-Romagna.
From next Monday, February 22, the vaccine will be administered, which will obviously continue at the pace dictated by the supply trend.
Priority is given to people with disabilities present in residential structures (about 3 thousand), then to those in day centers (4 thousand) and to those in charge of services (13 thousand): they will be vaccinated by the local health authorities responsible for the area, which will organize vaccinations directly. The remaining people with disabilities will be identified together with the associations that represent them and invited to contact general practitioners or the services of the Ausl, according to their preferences, as soon as these methods are shared with the associations themselves.
It also starts with school staff (about 120 thousand people), in the clinics of general practitioners: from 22 February, in fact, teachers, professors, educators, operators and collaborators, assisted by the regional health service and working in schools of all kinds and degree, in the educational services 0-3 years and in the professional training institutions of Emilia-Romagna that provide VET courses, they will be able to book vaccination from their GP, with the first ones that will be carried out already in the following days. The speed of booking and vaccination will depend on the availability of vaccines.
“With the vaccination of people with disabilities and the world of school, education and training, we extend the immunization campaign to other important sections of the population, some in particularly fragile conditions, others in contact with many other people during the day- underline the councilors for Welfare, Elly Schlein, at the School, Paola Salomoni, and for Health Policies, Raffaele Donini-. An important step forward. It is clear, however, that being able to use the AstraZeneca vaccine alone at this time will require a substantial increase in supplies, to give the necessary continuity to the campaign and to secure the greatest possible number of women and men. We can also do this thanks to the precious collaboration of general practitioners, who have given their willingness to actively involve themselves and who, even in this phase, confirm the importance of the irreplaceable role they play. We thank them, with the commitment of the Region to support them in the exercise of daily activities, also thanks to the new funds that have been assigned by the Government ”.
AstraZeneca’s choice
Among the various vaccines currently made available by the national Commissioner structure, some have methods of use and conservation that require a more complex management of their use in general medicine (this is the case of Pfizer).
Others, already authorized or who have started the authorization process, have characteristics that allow them to be used also in general medicine: this is the case of AstraZeneca.
The Region / General Practitioners Agreement
On the basis of the Agreement with the Region, general practitioners undertake to collaborate, both for the communication to their patients and for the administration of vaccinations, to achieve the objectives identified by the Regional Department of Health Policies in the context of the anti-Covid vaccination plan 19.
Only and exclusively doctors who have started the anti-Covid 19 vaccination course (administration of the first dose) can participate in the campaign as “vaccinators”.
The Region undertakes to provide all primary care doctors, at their own expense, with the vaccine doses necessary to carry out the vaccination in the population group identified. General practitioners undertake to ensure the maintenance of the cold chain from the moment of withdrawal to that of vaccination administration (storage temperature between 2 ° and 8 °).
Citizens who fall into this segment of the population – therefore school staff (from schools of all types and levels and from 0-3 year olds educational services, from vocational training institutions that provide education and vocational training courses) – must call directly your GP for booking, starting Monday 22 February.
Doctors will receive vaccines from the Healthcare Company, in the same way as anti-influenza vaccines; they will have to plan the administration, complete the vaccination history of the patients, collect the consent and “report” the vaccination using the regional portal SOLE. Those who book and show up to be vaccinated may be asked to self-certify their job position; changes that this band may undergo (such as, for example, assignments and substitutes) will be taken into account.
The interested population will be informed through all the communication activities of the Region and Health Authorities. The Region will distribute information material to all doctors, again through the Local Health Authorities, to be distributed to patients and to be made available in their offices. Information to school staff will also be given by trade unions and the regional school office.
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