Nova Scotia wants to vaccinate 70% of its population and offers deployment plans

Nova Scotia received the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday. Health officials say this is a “milestone” in the state’s pandemic response.

The state has vaccinated 1,950 doses as the government announced its arrival in a tweet. NS health officials then gathered at a live briefing to provide up-to-date information on vaccine deployment plans.

Dr. Gainer Watson Creed, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Nova Scotia, said today was a long-awaited day for many Nova Scotia citizens.

“After starting this long journey earlier this year, I’m completely surprised to find us here in December,” she said.

First batch rollout

The first vaccination against the coronavirus in Nova Scotia will take place on Wednesday.

The· Pfizer vaccine The state said the handling requirements were complex and needed to be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius.

The state was briefing, saying the vaccine is currently stored in an ultra-low freezer on the Dalhousie University campus, where the first batch will be distributed.

Healthcare professionals are the first to be vaccinated. According to NSHA, people working in the following areas will receive the vaccine this month:

• COVID-19 units in the hospital
• Emergency department
• Critical care unit
• IWK Health Center Birth Unit and Early Labor Unit
• Community care unit

0:45Coronavirus: Nova Scotia Prioritizes Healthcare Professionals in First Vaccine Shipment

The following are elderly people with COVID-19 and those at high risk of serious illness.

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While some states have selected high-risk groups as their top priority for vaccination, Nova Scotia states that health care workers make more sense at this stage of deployment.

Gary O’Toole, Senior Director of Population and Public Health at NSHA, said the state’s goal is to deliver the vaccine to recipients as soon as possible due to handling requirements.

He said the state is in the process of allocating ultra-low freezer for vaccines to all parts of the state, but at this time, vaccines cannot be “distributed beyond the point of delivery,” O’Toole said. ..

O’Toole said the state could mobilize health care workers to vaccinate in the central zone.

In addition, the state said care workers in the central zone would also receive the vaccine this month. All other care staff and caregivers can be expected to be vaccinated between January and March.

By the end of the month, Watson-Creed said the state expected to receive about 5,800 doses. This includes the two doses required for more than 2,500 Nova Scotians.

Starting this week, upon receiving each subsequent batch, the state will administer half and save the other half for the second dose of each vaccinated person.

“We want people to be fully vaccinated when they are vaccinated,” Watson Creed said.

2021 deployment plan

In the first quarter of 2021, the state will receive a small dose of vaccine each week.

Watson-Creed is calling for patience in Nova Scotia as its vaccine program is “continuously evolving.”

As of Tuesday, the state is waiting for new information from Ottawa and Pfizer, so the details of publicly available vaccines are unknown, she said.

“I will also ask Nova Scotian citizens to maintain their enthusiasm,” she said in a briefing, saying that the public response to the vaccine program was generally positive.

2:18How Canada’s COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment Plan is Deploying

According to Watson-Creed, in the first survey, more than 60% of Canadians are interested in vaccination against COVID-19, and the number is expected to increase.

She said the state aims to vaccinate 75 percent of Nova Scotia from a herd immunity perspective.

Until then, health officials have stated that public health guidelines such as wearing masks and physical distance remain valid.

Dr. Sherry McNeill, head of the infectious disease department, said in a briefing on Tuesday that vaccinations would not be required even for healthcare professionals, so the protocol would remain in hospitals and elsewhere.

“There is still no information on whether the vaccine can prevent people from becoming asymptomatic (infectious) and still infect the virus,” McNeil said.

In addition, she said she does not yet have information about how long the vaccine will be effective.

In Nova Scotia, plans for public distribution are months ahead, and health officials say there are still many details to resolve.

According to Watson-Creed, the state has decided that vaccinated people will receive some form of documentation to assist in the second vaccination.

She said health authorities across the country are discussing consistent documents for vaccinated people.

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