Logistics Changes Necessary for Safer, Faster Vaccination

Mexico City’s government has created a new logistics plan for the administration of COVID-19 vaccines in the Miguel Hidalgo municipality, which aims to avoid large concentrations of adults over the age of 60, reports Excelsior. This logistic plan involves the creation of four stations, each incorporating a waiting room, registration area, vaccine administration area and reaction observation area, with the capacity to attend around 1,000 people per hour each.

The logistics plan was modeled after similar ones in the US and some EU countries, which could streamline administration in more populated municipalities like Iztapalapa. The plan was set in motion on Monday and the government managed to administer 9,415 doses that day, reports Excelsior. Claudia Sheinbaum thanked health personnel on Twitter for their efforts in vaccine administration.

“Throughout the course of the pandemic, Mexico has been deficient when it comes to its communication strategy. I recommend that health authorities incorporate more elements and better communication strategies to carry out a more efficient vaccination strategy,” said Jorge Baruch, Professor at UNAM, to El Economista. Distribution plans such as this one aim to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 when people are getting vaccinated, as the process involves large crowds where people wait in line for long periods, which is particularly risky for those over 60.

“The country requires a national (distribution) plan and for the government to take responsibility every day. Blame is not effective; everyone has to take responsibility. It is an urgent matter because vaccination is not happening according to expectations,” explained Guadalupe Soto, Epidemiologist at UNAM to El Economista.

Other states are also concerned about implementing proper logistics to administer COVID-19 vaccines. Alejandro Benítez Herra, Minister of Health of Hidalgo, recognized that the logistics process for the administration of second doses in the city of Pachuca must be redone, reports Criterio Hidalgo. “I believe that for the second doses we need to implement a different strategy,” he highlighted, pointing out that there needs to be a process that proves that the person to be vaccinated lives in Pachuca and attends their scheduled appointment. Benítez also said that there need to be changes that use hospital infrastructure and health centers to avoid crowds.