JIC RELEASE NO. 486 - Vaccine and Antiviral Prioritization Policy Committee Holds First Meeting

   

JIC RELEASE NO. 486 - Vaccine and Antiviral Prioritization Policy Committee Holds First Meeting

The Vaccine and Antiviral Prioritization Policy Committee (VAPPC) held its inaugural meeting Thursday afternoon to orientate the committee members on their role and update and inform them on progress made regarding the COVID-19 vaccine as it relates to Guam.

Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) Director Art San Agustin welcomed the VAPPC members and led discussions while DPHSS Bureau of Communicable Disease Control Administrator Annette Aguon gave a brief presentation, which includes:

  • Key objectives for the VAPPC
  • Four key ethical principles 
  • Communications and educational needs
  • Estimated numbers for initial allocation of vaccines
  • Priority Groups


Plan of Action
In addition to advising DPHSS on critical population groups who will receive the first round of vaccines, the VAPPC functions also include developing a communication plan to explain rationale for establishing target groups for vaccine treatment. They will also review and monitor current information on the use, effectiveness, and safety of the COVID-19 vaccine, and recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additionally, the VAPPC will, as needed, revise priority groups and subgroups based on CDC recommendations.

The VAPPC will ensure that all recommendations and decisions are rooted in the four key ethical principles: maximize benefits, minimize harm; promote justice; mitigate health inequities; and promote transparency.


Priority Groups
The initial identification of priority groups have been broken down into three phases.

 

PHASE

IDENTITY

CRITERIA

 

1a

Healthcare personnel

 

Residents of long-term care facilities

Having direct or indirect exposure to COVID-19 or infectious materials

Requiring long-term specialized in-patient care

1b

Essential service workers

Key role to ensure essential functions are running with difficulty to socially distance while on duty

 

1c

People with comorbidities 

 

Elderly adults

Diagnosed with high-risk medical conditions, predisposed to severe illness, underserved communities, or are 65 years of age or older



 

2

 

Remainder of Phase 1 individuals

 

Critical populations

Unable to receive the vaccine due to limited supply or opting out to allow others to receive it first

 

Essential workers; underserved populations; general population

 

3

 

Remainder of Phase 2

Broaden vaccine opportunity to general public. According to CDC, rollout for this phase may occur during the summer, depending upon the availability of vaccines nationwide.

 

After surveying the healthcare community, essential service workers, and long term care facilities, initial estimates indicate that the number of those who will receive the first round of vaccines is about 2,600 individuals. This number, however, does not include all private sector healthcare workers. Once all data has been received, the estimates will be updated. 

During today’s meeting, the VAPPC agreed to schedule its next meeting within 24 hours, preferably at 5:30 p.m., after guidelines have been released by the CDC. The next VAPPC meeting will be announced to the public.

For the latest information on COVID-19, visit dphss.guam.gov or guamrecovery.com. For inquiries on COVID-19, contact 311 through a local number, or call the Joint Information Center at (671) 478-0208/09/10. 

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