Canadian Government Executive - Volume 26 - Issue 05

6 / Canadian Government Executive // January/February 2021 COVID-19 By Kevin Grauman How Technology Can Help Improve the Canadian COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout A cross the world, people are watching the COVID-19 vac- cine rollouts with curios- ity and scrutiny. With three vaccines approved globally — Pfizer, Moderna, and in the U.K., Astra- Zeneca — speed is of the essence to pro- tect citizens, help healthcare systems re- cover, 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 ap- proved Canadian COVID-19 vaccines, the distribution process is extremely compli- cated. It’s also the largest vaccine distribu- tion in history, meaning that the govern- ment is facing unprecedented hardships. Relying on a phased approach, which started with frontline workers and vulner- able 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 admin- istered 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 CO- VID-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 priori- tize technology solutions that will reduce strain on our clinics, pharmacies, and hos- pitals. 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 sys- temwas employed that prioritized vulner- able populations. With the flu shot season Across the world, people are watching the COVID-19 vaccine rollouts with curiosity and scrutiny. With three vac- cines 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.