Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine – National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme – Community Pharmacy – Balrothery Pharmacy – Cancellation Booster Campaign

 

Please do not pass this onto anyone else please. If a name isn’t on the cancellation list, their booking will be cancelled.

 

Balrothery Pharmacy has been approved to administer Pfizer vaccines (including boosters). We will be receiving a very limited amount of vaccines this week. Vaccinations will occur in Balrothery Pharmacy, Balrothery, North County Dublin, K32AY68.

 

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee have advised that one booster dose of an mRNA vaccine is recommended for –

 

Booster Cohort	Can they be vaccinated in a pharmacy?
Individuals aged over 60	Yes
Healthcare Workers	Yes
Individuals aged 16-59 with underlying conditions (*)	Yes
Individuals aged 50-59	Yes – However, priority must be given to cohorts above.
Immuno-compromised	No, these patients are being identified by their consultants and are being given appointments at CVCs.

(*) Please refer to table 5a.2 (below booking form) from Chapter 5a COVID-19 Immunisation guidance to identify these individuals.

We cannot in any circumstances administer booster vaccines if you do not fall under the allowed categories above. You booking will be cancelled otherwise.

 

Current guidelines for a booster dose for the cohorts listed in the table below are:

• after 5 months but preferably 6 months for those individuals previously vaccinated with an mRNA (Pfizer/Moderna) or Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) vaccine as their primary vaccination course.

• after 3 months for those individuals whose primary vaccination course was Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.

 

Your booking will only be confirmed when you receive a booking confirmation, and we confirm all your details match those with the HSE. We will be in touch if they don’t.

Please ensure it is at least 5 months since your second CoVid-19 Vaccination! (eg. If you received your second vaccination on the 28th of June 2021, you cannot receive the booster vaccination until the 28th of November 2021.)

 

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Table 5a.2

Underlying condition	Very high risk	High risk
Cancer	Receiving or within 6 weeks of receiving systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy, targeted therapy, monoclonal antibodies or immunotherapies. Receiving treatment or pending treatment for a haematological cancer. Undergoing or within 6 weeks of surgery or radical radiotherapy for lung or head and neck cancer. Advanced / metastatic cancer	Haematological1– within 5years of treatment
		Non-haematological cancer within 1 year following immunomodulating treatment. All other cancers being treated (excluding hormonal treatment)
Chronic heart and vascular disease		e.g. heart failure, hypertensive cardiac disease
Chronic kidney disease	On dialysis, or eGFR <15ml/min	eGFR<30ml/min
Chronic liver disease		e.g. cirrhosis or fibrosis
Chronic neurological disease or condition	With evolving respiratory failure requiring non-invasive ventilation e.g. motor neurone disease, spinal muscular atrophy.	Significantly compromised respiratory function and/or the ability to clear secretions e.g. Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy.
Chronic respiratory disease	Severe e.g. severe cystic fibrosis, severe COPD, severe pulmonary fibrosis.	Other conditions e.g. stable cystic fibrosis, severe asthma (continuous or repeated use of systemic corticosteroids), moderate COPD.
Diabetes	HbA1c≥58mmol/mol	All other diabetes (Type 1 and 2)
Immuno-compromised due to	Severe e.g. Transplantation: –	Other e.g. High dose
Sickle Cell Disease	Sickle Cell Disease
Organ Disease or treatment	Listed for solid organ or haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) – Post solid organ transplant at any time – Post HSCT within 12 months Genetic diseases: – APECED2 – Inborn errors in the interferon pathway Treatment: – including but not limited to Cyclophosphamide, Rituximab, Alemtuzumab, Cladribine or Ocrelizumab in the last 6 months.	systemic steroids3 HIV, not on treatment or CD4 count ,200 x10-6L for adults
Inherited metabolic diseases	Disorders of intermediary metabolism / at risk of acute decompensation e.g. Maple Syrup Urine Disease.	Disorders of intermediary metabolism not fulfilling criteria for very high risk.
Intellectual disability	Down Syndrome	Intellectual disability excluding Down Syndrome.
Obesity	BMI >40 Kg/m2	BMI >35 Kg/m2
Severe mental illness		e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression

1. Includes e.g., leukaemia, lymphomas, blood dyscrasias or other malignant neoplasms
affecting thebone marrow or lymphatic systems.
2. APECED – autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy.
3. The following doses of prednisolone (or equivalent dose of other glucocorticoid) are likely
to beimmunosuppressive:
● Adults and children ≥10kg: ≥40mg/day for more than 1 week, or ≥20mg/day for 2 weeks
or longer;
● Children <10 kg: 2mg/kg/day for 2 weeks or longer

 

Definition of a Healthcare Worker.

https://healthservice.hse.ie/filelibrary/staff/guidelines-for-sequencing-and-registration-process-for-hcw-covid-vaccination.pdf

Pharmacists can administer Comirnaty®/Pfizer BioNTech as a booster dose if the primary vaccine course was Vaxzevria®/ AstraZeneca vaccine. 

Pregnant healthcare workers can receive a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine from a pharmacy. Prior to administration, you must ensure that the patient has discussed their individual risks and benefits with their obstetric care giver.

You can get the COVID-19 booster vaccine at the same time as the flu vaccine or other vaccines.

We can now vaccinate people who have received their first vaccination elsewhere and whose first vaccination information is in the EU Digital COVID Certificate portal. Please call ahead before booking so we can confirm all information is correct. Otherwise there will be problems with the HSE issuing your EU Digital COVID Certificate.

 

 

If for whatever reason you get an appointment and then cannot make it or will be late for the appointment, please let us know as soon as possible by email or phone.

 

Please ensure that the email address and PPS number provided below are correct. We cannot add any information to the HSE portal without a valid PPS number and you will not receive vaccine confirmation or a EU Digital COVID Certificate without a valid email address. (We recommend adding the adults email address and mobile number.)

 

Children aged between 12-15 years cannot give their own consent. A document below will list who exactly can give consent in all circumstances. If you are aged 16 years or older, you can sign your own consent form. Please print off the consent form also listed below and bring to the appointment completed. (Printed copies are available from the pharmacy but must be picked up at least 1 hour before the appointment)

 

https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/hcpinfo/covid19vaccineinfo4hps/who-can-give-consent-for-young-people-aged-under-16.pdf

https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/hcpinfo/covid19vaccineinfo4hps/prog1215/consentform.pdf

https://www.pharmacyanseo.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/covidchecklistpm.pdf

 

An adult who is legally able to consent for the child will need to be present and provide consent for the child aged 12-15 at the time of the vaccination appointment. A child cannot attend this appointment alone. Only one adult will be allowed to accompany the child. The child should also be asked to assent to the vaccination which must be recorded on the consent form. A child who does not assent should not be restrained or vaccinated against their will. (We may ask the adult accompanying the child to wait outside while the child is waiting before and after the vaccination occurs in busier times.)

 

It is possible to book a vaccination online with Balrothery Pharmacy (PharmacyAnseo.ie), even if you have registered with the HSE and have not received a vaccination date from them. 

 

You will need 2 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. You will get your 2nd dose 2.5-4 weeks (17-28 days) after your 1st dose. It takes 7 days after the 2nd dose for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to work. This is when you are fully vaccinated.

We will require you to bring your PPS number, consent form and photographic identification to the appointment. All bookings are dependent on supply and can be cancelled.

 

Under no circumstances, will we take bookings over the phone or respond to requests via email or social media. We apologise profusely to any customer who misses out this week.

 

Overview & Introduction

COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease that can cause serious illness, hospitalisation and even death. The COVID-19 vaccination programme offers protection from COVID-19. If people do test positive for COVID-19 after vaccination, they should have increased levels of protection from the serious illness that the virus can sometimes cause. The aim in offering the vaccine to the population is to protect people and reduce the illness and deaths caused by this virus.

The vaccine is not mandatory. People who are most at risk from COVID-19 will be offered the vaccine first. The COVID-19 vaccine is free to all persons of the State. It will not be available privately.

The Department of Health has devised a priority list of groups for vaccination using vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The Strategy was developed by the National Immunisation.
Advisory Committee (NIAC) and the Department of Health, endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and approved by Government on 8 December 2020 and updated on 30 March 2021. The Strategy is a further component to the State’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and will evolve and adapt with more detailed information on the vaccines and their effectiveness. For a quick guide to the updated provisional vaccine allocation groups please see link to the government website

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/39038-provisional-vaccine-allocation-groups/

Community Pharmacists, who have already made a significant positive contribution to efforts to manage this public health crisis since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020, will play a key role in the delivery of the vaccination programme in accordance with the agreed national vaccination schedule. Community Pharmacists will have a key role in delivering the COVID-19 vaccination programme as the HSE seeks to maximise delivery capacity.
This document sets out guidance in relation to the approach, logistical arrangements and processes established for the rollout of the vaccine programme within a community pharmacy setting.

Please refer to the following links if you have any questions about the vaccination.

https://www2.hse.ie/screening-and-vaccinations/covid-19-vaccine/get-the-vaccine/

https://rcpi-live-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/20210803-FINAL_Recommendations-COVID-19-vaccination-of-those-aged-12-15.pdf

https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/hcpinfo/covid19vaccineinfo4hps/prog1215/

https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/hcpinfo/covid19vaccineinfo4hps/prog1215/faq1215/

https://www2.hse.ie/screening-and-vaccinations/covid-19-vaccine/pfizer-biontech/

The COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy sets out a provisional priority list of groups for vaccination once a safe and effective vaccine(s) is authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The Strategy was developed by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and the Department of Health, endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and approved by Government on 8 December 2020 and updated 26th February 2021. The Strategy is a further component to the State’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and will evolve and adapt with more detailed information on the vaccines and their effectiveness. For a quick guide to the updated provisional vaccine allocation groups please see link to the government website https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/39038-provisional-vaccine-allocation-groups/

The National Immunisation Office (NIO) is the primary source of clinical guidelines about national immunisation programmes, including COVID-19. Please refer to its website regularly, as the NIO monitor and update information in relation to vaccinations. Please see:

https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/hcpinfo/covid19vaccineinfo4hps/clinicalguidance.pdf