Another 975 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have arrived in the Bailiwick and are being kept to fully immunise care and health staff who have had their first jab.

The roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination programme in the Bailiwick is well underway with only seven unused doses (0.7% wastage).

Health & Social Care says that is a credit to the vaccinators. The vaccine is provided with an assumed 20% wastage for every 975 doses.

Once taken from the -70 storage freezer, the vaccine can only be stored for 5 days.

The Bailiwick received a second consignment of another 975 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine last week.

They are being freeze-stored to provide the second dose for those who have already had their first injection (listed below).  Two doses have to be given three weeks apart to achieve optimal efficacy.

The Director of Public Health has described the first phase of the roll-out - which ran from Thursday to Sunday - as 'extremely successful'.

Of the 975 vaccine doses available, 968 vaccine doses have been delivered and were administered as follows:

350 to care home staff
50 to Medical Specialist Group frontline staff
30 to Primary Care doctors and nurses
25 to Dentists & Hygienists
25 To paramedics, ambulance technicians and first responders
30 To Alderney & Sark
328 to Acute staff/mental health ward staff/and Allied Health Professionals.
130 to Social care staff, including district nurses, domiciliary care staff and private carers.

The vaccinators for the first group were made up of specialist public health nurses, which includes school nurses and health visitors, together with HSC ward and community staff, nurses, doctors and midwives.

Dr Nicola Brink said: "The atmosphere at the end of the last clinic was one of great satisfaction. We were able to maximise delivery of the doses we received in the first delivery with staff in the hospital being canvassed at the end of the clinic to ensure all doses could be used.

"We have had excellent take up from those who have been offered the vaccine so far. No one who has received the vaccine so far has experienced any adverse reactions. I would like to extend our thanks to all the vaccinators and administrative staff who have made this possible in such a short period of time.’

Further consignments of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be delivered to the Bailiwick in January.

As other vaccines are given approval for use by the MHRA, they will be considered by Health & Social Care for use in the Bailiwick.

If approved for use here, procurement teams will ensure that Guernsey receives its agreed allocation from the UK and it will be supplied using 'tried and tested' supply chains.