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Covid-19 vaccinations are underway across the Bailiwick after shipments of the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine were shipped to Alderney and Sark.
The rollout of 300 doses of the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccination commenced earlier this week in Alderney, while Sark received their first shipment of 80 doses yesterday.
The islands were listed as a priority when Guernsey received its first batch of the Astra Zeneca vaccine because the Pfizer BioNTech vaccination has to be stored at -70 degrees centigrade, whereas this vaccine only requires normal refrigeration during its transit.
Changes to the law have been made so that medical professionals are granted immunity for the role they play in the administration of the vaccine. Although approved by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the vaccination has not yet been regulated.
“This ordinance is a carbon copy of the one adopted in Guernsey,” said Alderney States member Kevin Gentle. “It ensures that anyone lawfully involved in supplying, distributing or administering a vaccine with temporary approval is fully protected and cannot as an individual be subject to civil liability for loss or damages.”
Pictured: Residents of the Connaught Care Home were among the first to Alderney to receive their first dose of the vaccine.
When vaccines for Covid-19 receive full marketing authorisation from the MHRA or the European Medicines Agency, it is expected that any potential issues or risks associated with their use "would be insurable by the States of Guernsey in the normal way", according to Alderney's Government.
Pictured top: Alderney's vaccination programme is underway, while doses of the vaccine have now arrived in Sark.
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