COVID-19 Vaccine Sequencing for Healthcare Workers
Overview Since the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out began in December 2020, we have been receiving questions from staff, physicians, partners and the public on COVID-19 immunization sequencing - who will be immunized when, in what order, and why some groups are chosen to go before others. We truly wish everyone could be immunized right away. Within these early phases, there simply isn’t enough vaccine for all healthcare workers. In the earliest phases of vaccine roll out, there is only enough vaccine for residents of long term care (LTC) and designated supportive living (DSL) facilities, age-groups of seniors who have been hardest hit and some healthcare workers. The reality is that it’s going to take several months for all healthcare workers to be offered COVID-19 immunization. Fundamentally, the major issue we face right now is vaccine supply. There is insufficient vaccine available to immunize our entire workforce at once. Because there is not currently enough vaccine, decisions have to be made about sequencing of the vaccine rollout. We hope the information below will help provide further background on immunization sequencing, rationale behind decisions and insight into the immunization rollout process. Principles Used by the Government of Alberta to Determine Groups Included in Phase 1 Alberta’s COVID-19 Immunization Program launched in December 2020. With not enough vaccine available to offer immunizations to everyone at the same time, Alberta Health established a phased approach aligned with anticipated vaccine supply. COVID-19 immunization roll-out takes into account groups that have been particularly hit hard by the pandemic. This includes older Albertans and in particular those living in LTC and DSL facilities. The sequencing of healthcare workers across phases acknowledges the tremendous impact COVID-19 has had on the healthcare system’s ability to deliver care and support patients and residents in moving through the system. The need to prevent outbreaks that further impair health system capacity and flow was also considered. Healthcare workers including physicians were sequenced with consideration of the extent to which immunizing a particular group would contribute to a combination of the following:
• Reducing acute care demand; • Protecting critical workforce; • Enhancing the flow of patients and residents through the system; and • Preventing COVID-19 outbreaks.
Last Updated: 02/22/2021 1030h
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