Across the world, people are watching the COVID-19 vaccine rollouts with curiosity and scrutiny. With three vaccines approved globally — Pfizer, Moderna, and in the U.K., AstraZeneca — speed is of the essence to protect citizens, help healthcare systems recover, and find a way out of the pandemic. Unfortunately, Canada has been falling behind in the initial rollout, struggling to get citizens vaccinated efficiently.

Due to the delicate nature of the two approved Canadian COVID-19 vaccines, the distribution process is extremely complicated. It’s also the largest vaccine distribution in history, meaning that the government is facing unprecedented hardships. Relying on a phased approach, which started with frontline workers and vulnerable populations, Canada is following the same strategy as other countries, but with less success than they anticipated. With only 500,000 doses of the vaccines administered in the first month, there is still a long way to go. In order to improve the success of the Canadian distribution plan, technology and data need to be harnessed to distribute and track the vaccinations.

Healthcare Facility Considerations

One issue that is complicating the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is that there are still high numbers of infected patients overwhelming our healthcare facilities. Vaccine distribution will only add stress to healthcare facilities — especially if the strategy is poorly planned and executed. That’s why governments need to prioritize technology solutions that will reduce strain on our clinics, pharmacies, and hospitals. Much of this can be pulled from the flu shot vaccine distribution plan. In order to administer the flu vaccine safely during the 2020 season, an appointment-only system was employed that prioritized vulnerable populations. With the flu shot season lasting only a few months, this system will need to be expanded upon. It also needs to be used to protect those who have yet to be vaccinated. When widespread vaccinations happen, crowds in healthcare facilities will need to be managed through strict appointment scheduling.

Distribution of Vaccinations

With two vaccines being distributed in the country, each requiring two separate doses, keeping track of the distribution process is difficult. That’s where data collection and sharing will be of the utmost importance. Information on who receives each vaccine, when they will need the second dose, and when they are fully vaccinated will need to be closely tracked. First, patients will need to be matched to the appropriate vaccine based on their medical history, as well as the availability of the vaccine. With complicated storage needs for each vaccine, phase one focuses on matching patients with the vaccine that is most accessible. In long-term care homes, they have primarily been using the Moderna vaccine, as it can be stored at higher temperatures. Yet as we move through the distribution phases, it will become increasingly complicated to track who should be receiving which vaccine.

With multiple vaccine distribution centers in each province, data will need to be shared between them to ensure that everyone is receiving a second dose of the appropriate vaccine in a timely manner. In the U.K., there has been discussion of delaying the second doses of the vaccines, but this has yet to be backed by Canadian doctors. This means that there needs to be a strict schedule in place to ensure that second doses are administered properly. Otherwise, the vaccine may be ineffective. A widespread vaccine registry will need to be implemented to track this information and to ensure all patients are receiving the correct second shot.

With any data collection, there is a risk for data breaches or cybersecurity threats. Healthcare data is extremely confidential; thus, the risks are higher as more data is collected. This means that, along with ensuring there are vaccine registries in place, there needs to be sufficient attention paid to the storage of this data. Secure encryption and appropriate measures to protect access to the data can help ensure that all vital healthcare data is kept safe.

Awareness and Confidence

Although the vaccine has undergone sufficient trials and is considered to be safe, the public has been skeptical about the speed at which the vaccines were approved. According to Statistics Canada, 75 per cent of Canadians plan on getting the vaccine; yet, in order for it to be effective, 70 to 80 per cent of the population needs to be vaccinated. Since it isn’t mandatory, the healthcare community has been forced to advocate for the safety of the vaccines. Technology can be used to help disseminate this important messaging and can help to instill confidence. We are already seeing leaders share their vaccination stories and healthcare providers educate the general public on the vaccines. This immunization campaign will need to continue in order to achieve the required results.

Unfortunately, no amount of positive PR and personal stories will result in 100 per cent of the population being vaccinated, and this data will also need to be collected. There are already businesses and countries setting up limitations for those who choose not to receive the vaccine, meaning that there needs to be infrastructure in place to track those who are not vaccinated. Unfortunately, this leads to issues with privacy. Canada will need to create a public and secure COVID-19 vaccination passport to share information on who is vaccinated, who has antibodies, and who is still at risk.

Strategy Improvement

With Canada’s vaccination distribution strategy already receiving widespread criticism, governments need to implement immediate improvements. Although the healthcare and governmental sectors have traditionally been slow to adopt technology, governments need to find trusted technology and data services providers to implement solutions quickly. These solutions will need to be secure and scalable, ready to be expanded if other vaccines are approved by Health Canada. Innovation and collaboration were pivotal in getting vaccines approved quickly, and both are now needed to help distribute and track the vaccines. Technology will be the backbone of any effective distribution strategy to help governments remain organized and keep citizens safe.