At least one GP network has had to pull out of delivering the Covid vaccine next week because of new safety guidance, Pulse reports.
The news follows MHRA guidance that patients be kept under 15-minute observations after the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is delivered in order to monitor for anaphylaxis.
‘Vaccine recipients should be monitored for 15 minutes after vaccination, with a longer observation period when indicated after clinical assessment,’ according to the MHRA’s update.
North East Derbyshire PCN told Pulse it will no longer be delivering the vaccine.
Nine PCNs in Kent have also advised reporters that they will need to reconsider the campaign in light of new advice.
The Guardian estimates that more than 100,000 patients in Manchester, Sussex, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and the Thames Valley will be affected.
NASGP members have reported poor communication with practices about the Covid-19 vaccination campaign delivery in their areas. Cornwall and Hertfordshire are recruiting, according to members.
But many said they had not yet been contacted, either to manage backfill at practices delivering the vaccine, or to deliver the vaccine. One GP who contacted her LMC directly was told to ‘wait for emails’. Another was asked to volunteer.
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, chair of the NASGP, writes: ‘There’s no doubt that this vaccination programme is going to be long and drawn out, so it’s only right that GP networks can make their own decisions on whether they can deliver the vaccines safely over a long time period.’