VACCINE INJECTS HOPE INTO COVID-19 CHALLENGE
AS SCOTLAND PREPARES TO START VACCINATING HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND THE OVER 80S, SP LOOKS AT THIS ExTREMELY FAST-MOVING PROGRAMME AND ASSESSES THE ROLE THAT COMMUNITY PHARMACY WILL PLAY…
T
he news that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had approved the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine – which is said to offer up to 95 per cent protection against the virus - was very welcome news to most ears, mainly because the idea that there might be a vaccination to protect the population had seemed a far-distant possibility for most of 2020.
When the Health Secretary, Jeane Freeman, stood up in Parliament on Thursday 19 November to deliver the ‘good news’ that Pfizer and Moderna had announced over 90 per cent effectiveness in Phase 3 clinical trials, many people in Scotland – within healthcare and outwith – breathed a collective sigh of something verging on relief.
34 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST
‘We’re hopeful,’ Ms Freeman said at the time, ‘that, over the coming weeks into 2021, that we will have more than one vaccine available to us so that we can, with minimum delay, vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.
‘Vaccinating the adult population in Scotland – that’s anyone aged over 18 – is 4.4 million people. We have, rightly, worked across the four nations to secure the vaccines and to secure agreement on the population share of the doses purchased for each of the UK nations.’
Despite her tone of optimism, Ms Freeman was eager to address people’s concerns with regard to the speed at which these vaccines have not only been created, but at the
speed at which they have been put through clinical trials – a process, which normally takes years.
‘This is a critical point,’ she said. ‘I want to be very clear to people across Scotland that the safety of the COVID- 19 vaccine is paramount for us.
‘The global scientific, research and pharmaceutical community has come together and worked as never before. We’ve seen unprecedented investment worldwide in research, development and manufacture; people across the world – including here in Scotland – volunteering to take part in clinical trials; and driven and dedicated research teams.
‘That is why we are seeing these front-running vaccines delivered in
months, rather than the many years that vaccine development can sometimes take. It is impressive – but it is not at the expense of safety.
‘Regulators like the European Medicines Agency or MHRA in the UK review the trial results and decide whether to approve the vaccine or not. During a pandemic, this timeframe can be compressed, but it is never at the expense of safety.’
So, what exactly is pharmacy's role in this vaccination programme?
Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, had previously said that pharmacies in Scotland would take part in the roll-out of any COVID-19 vaccine, once it was available.
Photo by CDC on Unsplash
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