«Free vaccines» in practice. Is it possible to vaccinate without queuing? [WE CHECK]

On April 20, Minister Michał Dworczyk announced that it would be possible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine without a designated date. It is about the situation when there is a risk of not using the preparation. Then, it is allowed to administer the vaccine to a person over 18 years of age. Does it actually work?

1. In order not to waste vaccines, the principle was introduced that the preparation can be given to anyone willing. The only condition is 18 years of age
2. It is about situations when at the end of the day vaccinations remain “free” doses of vaccines, e.g. because someone did not show up on the scheduled date
3. We decided to check whether it is actually possible to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine without a set date. It turned out to be a problem with that
4. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

Changes in the National Immunization Program – less wasted vaccines

The National Immunization Program in Poland is gaining momentum. From April 26, two years will be able to register. In turn, by May 9, all citizens aged 18 and over who want to be vaccinated will be issued e-referrals for vaccination against COVID-19. Moreover, the government has allowed the vaccination to be carried out bypassing the procedures in force. A person who is already an adult can get vaccinated without waiting for his turn, as long as there is a risk of not using the preparation at a given vaccination point.

1. See also: We’ve lost herd immunity to measles. All because of refusal of vaccinations

Each of the vaccines approved for use in Poland has different storage conditions. The least demanding are AstraZeneki and Johnson & Johnson, i.e. vector vaccines. Last month, on the wave of reports on the risk of thrombosis after AstraZeneki, several percent. Poles did not come for vaccination. The risk that the vaccine will be wasted was lower than in the case of Pfizer or Moderna preparations – these require a much lower storage temperature. In the case of AstraZeneki, however, it is essential that the ampoule does not open. After its violation, the preparation is usable only for six hours. Hence, the government’s decision to “release” unused vaccines seems reasonable.

Is it possible to get the COVID-19 vaccine without an appointment?

Theoretically, the most effective way to find a skip-the-line immunization center is by phoning the immunization centers. On the gov.pl website, there is a map of vaccination points with a division into voivodeships. All you need to do is click on the appropriate area on the map to find the phone numbers of specific institutions in your area. Then just a short conversation asking if there is a chance for a “free” vaccine and a visit to the center to take your dose. It sounds simple. In practice, however, this is not the case.

On April 21, the editors of MedTvoiLokony unsuccessfully called dozens of vaccination points in large cities, as well as small towns throughout Poland. The result was the same almost everywhere: either nobody picks up the handset, or the machine informs about the necessity to wait in line for a call. The problem is that this queue is not getting any smaller. For 20 minutes, you are still the 5th, 15th or 20th person waiting to be interviewed by a vaccine worker.

1. Editors recommend: COVID-19 despite the vaccine. When can this happen, is it dangerous? The doctor explains

Only at two vaccination points were we able to talk to someone. In the first one, we only found out that the vaccine operator is currently busy, so she won’t be able to talk to us. In the second one, we heard that as soon as someone fails to vaccinate, the next person on the waiting list is invited. So there is no place for Poles whose deadline is more distant.

The telephone search for “free vaccines” does not actually make sense, although we do get signals from the few people who have been vaccinated in this way.

Perhaps a better way to “catch” the vaccine without the queue may be a personal visit to the center, although here, too, it may not be successful.

Vaccination centers do not answer phone calls. Technological exclusion of certain groups

The failure of “free vaccines” provides new data on the systemic exclusion of seniors that we wrote about yesterday. Doctors from the Zielona Góra Agreement directly say that some elderly people have problems with registering for vaccination against COVID-19. This takes place through four channels: through the patient’s portal (patient.gov.pl), telephone hotline (989 – the telephone works 48/664 and is free of charge), SMS (with the text SzczepimySie to the number +908 556 XNUMX XNUMX) or by contacting selected vaccination point.

– Although it may seem improbable from the perspective of big cities, there are people in Poland who only use landline phones, and even if they have a “mobile”, they are unable to receive an SMS. Also this with the notification of the vaccination date. The system has excluded these people from the COVID-19 vaccination program and they can take advantage of this benefit only thanks to their family doctors who know their situation – we read on the PZ website.

Małgorzata Stokowska-Wojda, one of the family doctors belonging to the Zielona Góra Agreement, takes care of such patients.

“It’s usually the elderly who don’t use cell phones at all,” he says. – There are families where one phone is used by more than one household. There are also those who can only handle the telephone for seniors, where they have dialed numbers to their loved ones or to the emergency room, but will no longer receive an SMS. The vaccination notification system, based on SMS notifications, does not work for such patients. Registration via the hotline is not an option. However, we do not want to ignore them and we do our best to save as many of our patients as possible from severe disease, even at the expense of additional work. Therefore, in my clinic, nurses themselves call patients, encouraging them to vaccinate, register for a specific date, and additionally remind them to vaccinate the day before – adds Stokowska-Wojda.

Taking into account the fact that calling the vaccination points is also a miracle, it can be said that in the case of seniors, none of the four available channels is realistically available.

Also read:

1. Registration for vaccinations for people born in 1970 has started
2. EMA on Johnson & Johnson vaccine: possible link with rare cases of unusual blood clots
3. Which countries are winning the fight against COVID-19? Where is Poland located? Latest ranking
4. Sweden’s chief epidemiologist vaccinated with AstraZeneka. Has it had side effects?
5. Norway: ‘leading coronasceptic’ died. He banned himself at a party

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