By: Natalie Cheng
Feb 15th 2021
The problems that cities and counties have faced in trying to manage the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has frustrated many people still waiting to get the vaccine. The process demands something that many have had to face since the start of the pandemic back in early 2020: patience. While people wait for their chance to get the vaccine, cities, counties, pharmacies, and other organizations in charge of distributing the COVID-19 vaccine must quickly find a solution to handle it all. With all the technology that exists today, there is a solution to help with the process: digitization. Digitization has impacted many industries for years and will continue to change the way we work….so why not digitize the COVID-19 vaccine rollout?
Digitize COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling
Once organizations finally get notified that they are going to receive COVID-19 vaccines, they will need to organize and schedule people eligible under the current guidelines. Organizations should digitize the COVID-19 vaccine scheduling process as much as possible to effectively and efficiently manage sign-ups. Of course, because of the digital knowledge gap between digital natives and those that are 65+, organizations should also set up a call center to easily register those that need assistance with online registration. In both cases, all information will be stored in a central location that can then be used to check in individuals on the day they show up to get vaccinated, which will help speed up the process. We’ve already experienced this when we implemented our vaccine management solution, Innoculate, for the City of Pearland. After installing the solution, the City of Pearland was able to distribute 2,000 first round COVID-19 vaccine doses in just two days. This digitized information can also help automate second dose follow-up by making it easier to identify who needs a second dose and from which vaccine manufacturer. By digitizing vaccine scheduling, you’ll reduce the strain on vaccine administrators and increase data accuracy.
Reporting Adverse Reactions
Even though the CDC saw lower rates of allergic reaction after the Pfizer vaccine, some people will still have adverse reactions that must be documented in order to inform and improve upon the vaccine. Recording adverse reactions in a database along with the information that was used to schedule the vaccine will help identify which vaccine manufacturer the person was reacting to along with other relevant information such as the batch number, lot number, and the person’s health condition such as having chronic kidney disease, a heart condition, and diabetes. In addition, having a digital record of all this information will help with scaling this to encompass several hundred thousand people or more. Organizations must ensure that a vaccine management solution has SFTP or bi-directional HL7 data exchange and reporting capabilities.
COVID Vaccination Passport
As restrictions ease and business travel picks back up, the need for digital coronavirus passports has been brought up in order to control the spread. Countries such as Denmark are set to introduce digital coronavirus passports for travelers to prove that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19. With a digital COVID-19 vaccine management system, vaccine administrators will be able to easily provide proof that a person has been vaccinated.
Going Forward
As the fight against COVID-19 rages on, let’s consider improving the COVID-19 vaccine workflow by digitizing and automating tasks.
Are you looking for a COVID-19 vaccine management solution or help on how to effectively roll out the vaccine to your community? Reach out to us and we’ll be happy to help.
