On the morning of the 27th, when the Pfizer vaccination for corona19 patients treatment began, medical staff are dispensing the Pfizer vaccine into syringes at a sterile workbench (Cleanbench) in the Central Vaccination Center of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo Joint Report
–
The number of people who can be vaccinated per bottle (vial) of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccine produced by Pfizer in the United States is usually 5 people. However, the government predicted that using a special syringe that minimizes the amount wasted could inoculate six people. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for immunization also say that it is extracted six times.
It was more than that when I started vaccination at the Central Vaccination Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 27th. It was possible to give one more injection. This is because the’Low Dead Space LDS’ developed by a domestic company produced more than expected effects.
Minimal residual syringe effect
–
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a single vial of Pfizer vaccine has a labeled volume of 0.45mL. Pfizer vaccine is kept frozen at -60 to 90 degrees Celsius. When using, transfer to the refrigerator and dissolve for about 3 hours. The thawed volume is also equal to 0.45 mL.
Pfizer vaccine should not be injected as it is. It must be diluted. You need 1.8 mL of normal saline. So, if you simply calculate the total volume, it is 2.25mL. However, one vial usually contains a little more vaccine than the indicated dose.
Chung Kyung-sil, head of the vaccination management team of the Corona 19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, explained at a regular briefing on the 27th, “Generally, the dose per vial is the amount of loss that may occur during the vaccination process, and some spares are included in consideration of this.” For this reason, the total volume is 2.25 + α (alpha) mL.
–
On the morning of the 27th, Corona 19 medical staff who received the Corona 19 Pfizer vaccine are waiting in the observation room at the Central Vaccination Center of the National Medical Center in Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo Joint Report
–
Up to 7 people with a bottle of Pfizer
–
Pfizer vaccine should be administered in 0.3 mL doses in the body. LDS is a special type of syringe that minimizes the space left between the piston (push) and the needle. The space capacity is only 0.025mL. It is 35.7% of a conventional syringe with a space capacity of about 0.07 mL.
When 0.3 mL is extracted from the vaccine bottle with LDS, 0.325 mL is actually filled to the space in the syringe. Of course, the fuller amount is never injected into the body. Even if the push stick is pushed’all the way’, it does not pass through the injection needle. Eventually, it remains in an empty place in the syringe and is thrown away.
–
The number of vaccinations per bottle of corona vaccine increased Graphic = Reporter Jaemin Shin [email protected]
–
Participation in nurse proficiency
– Considering that the diluted Pfizer vaccine is 2.25+α mL, it is possible to inoculate 7 people. It is a number that exceeds the number of 5 people who can inoculate with a regular syringe and 6 people who were initially expected.
Of course, the skill of the nurse also played a part. National Medical Center head of the National Medical Center Chung Ki-hyun said to Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun, who visited the vaccination site this morning, “The injection is good and the nurse’s skill is so good that further results can be produced.” Explained.
Prime Minister Jung said, “I was worried about what to do if there were not all six people and there were 5.5 people.” It seems to have been confirmed that it was not wrong.”
–
A view of the Central Vaccination Center at the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 27th. Photo Joint Report
–
One or two more AZ vaccines can be given
– It was similar when the AstraZeneca vaccination the day before. It is said that after breaking the expectation that 10 vaccinations per vial would be possible, a case of 11 to 12 doses came out. For both AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines, a special LDS syringe is used. The disease administration has distributed 670,000 LDSs to the vaccination site.
If the number of vaccinations increases while the vaccine is scarce, the government can naturally relieve the burden of securing supplies. The government even sent an official letter to the vaccination agency so that the remaining amount could be used the day before. If the amount of inoculation remains after extracting the amount determined by the existing guidelines, it is possible to match it without discarding it. It is not obligatory.
–
From the first confirmation of Corona 19 to vaccination. Graphic = Reporter Jaemin Shin [email protected]
–
Efforts to reduce waste as much as possible
– “For the part of using the remaining amount, an official letter was issued to indicate that the waste amount is not as much as possible in the field.”
It is a position that experts should be left to the field as they are now. Sang-hyuk Ma, vice president of the Korean Vaccine Society, said, “A person (medical person) is not a machine. Depending on the individual, it may not be precisely selected.”
Reporter Minwook [email protected] 
–
