Just as the number of Covid cases has begun to rise sharply in Monaco, the much-anticipated BioNTech vaccine has arrived and inoculation has begun at aged care homes.
The government has announced not only the arrival but the beginning of the roll out for the new Covid jab that has just been approved by the European Medicines Agency this past week.
The vaccine became available on Thursday 31st December for people living in care homes who wish to be inoculated. The first dose will be administered straight away, followed three weeks later by a second dose as a booster, ensuring better immunisation.
The Department of Health Action Services (DASA) is assisting in the undertaking, particularly in organising pre-vaccination consultations and obtaining the necessary consent of the people wishing to be vaccinated. This step helps streamline the system, allowing them to determine the number of jabs to be delivered to each facility, a crucial step as the vaccines require storage at extremely low temperatures in special freezers which are not found on-site at retirement homes.
The jabs will be administered by trained medical professionals overseen by a doctor.
Starting on Friday 1st of January, residents of Monaco over the age of 75 who have expressed that they would like the inoculation will be contacted for an appointment at the vaccination centre set up at the Espace Léo Ferré.
Health Minister Didier Gamerdinger underlines that “it was important for the Government to quickly receive the first deliveries of vaccines to protect our elders and the most vulnerable without delay.”
With 26 new cases on Wednesday alone and 14 people in hospital, this news could not have come at a better time for a Covid-weary public.
For those in the proper category who would like to make an appointment, the government has set up a direct line to the call centre on +377 92 05 55 00.