In order to deal with the pandemic and start a nationwide vaccination campaign, the Federal Council has given the cantons the task of organising themselves accordingly. At the end of last year, the State of Vaud, therefore, launched an appeal to health institutions to do so. La Lignière stepped forward to offer its help and premises to the national programme in order to meet the State's needs.
Since the beginning of January, La Lignière has officially been an anti-COVID vaccination centre. Every day, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, the inhabitants of the region, who are eligible for vaccination, parade in and out of the premises specially fitted for the occasion. There were around forty of them on opening day alone, compared to more than 270, today, who received the injection that protects - Pfizer or Moderna, to date. "We are happy to provide this service to the population because it is part of our mission," says Mattia Benini, general manager of La Lignière. “It is important for us to take part in the collective effort to stop this pandemic, even though it is a challenge to have been able to organise ourselves, in such a short time, in collaboration with the CHUV, the canton's university hospital.”
The vaccination programme set up
Indeed, the premises - those of the most recent building, the Medical & Therapeutic Centre - had to be designed according to a precise flow in order to allow vaccination to be carried out as efficiently as possible and to avoid bottlenecks. "We quickly reached a large number of people to be vaccinated. We had to take into account the four stages of vaccination and estimate the time spent at each station, a puzzle to keep up the pace while remaining welcoming and reassuring," he adds.
Checking the identity of the person and the appointment confirmed online by a security agent, admission and additional registration for the second injection at the administrative desk, passing through the vaccination booth for the injection by the healthcare staff and, finally, waiting and monitoring in the dedicated area before returning home; these are the four stages of the vaccination.
Permanent adaptation
All the details had to be foreseen and adapted as practice went on. "The population is more than satisfied with our services. Every day, we receive small words of appreciation for the smooth-running organisation and the kindness of our staff. This means a lot to us," shares Mattia Benini.
The Vaccination Centre in La Lignière has also attracted a lot of media attention. "It is true that this has enabled the Clinic to become closer to the local population and to shed some of its image as a private establishment," comments the general director. The Centre even received an official visit from the two State Councillors, Rebecca Ruiz and Béatrice Métraux, in charge of the Department of Health and Social Action, and the Department of Environment and Security respectively, in order to obtain feedback from the field. A landmark visit on January 22.
The future in question
Finally, today, the Vaccination Centre is trying to maintain a good organisation. This is a complex task in view of the current health situation: it has been necessary to adapt to the shortage of vaccine production and supply that has affected the whole of Switzerland. "We have, above all, arranged the appointments for the second injection, which keeps our team up to speed. However, the first injections are experiencing a dip of about two weeks. You have to be patient and it is not easy to communicate this to those who are waiting impatiently for this vaccine to feel safe," says Mattia Benini.
A local hotline has been set up for questions and appointments. "We are trying to give our support and help to the Canton as best we can. But we are also pleased that other centres may open in order to offer vaccination quickly to other groups of people," concludes Benini, general manager of La Lignière.
For the time being, only people aged 75 and over, vulnerable people, and health personnel in contact either with a population at risk, or directly involved in the services that care for COVID-positive patients, are eligible for the vaccine.
Case to be continued...
