Feasibility Study of a Drive-Through Influenza Vaccination Clinic for Patients-At-Risk & Their Contacts

Abstract Background There are 3-5 million cases of severe influenza-like illness globally each year, and up to 650,000 related deaths. This high prevalence rate proves to be a heavy burden on the healthcare system with >3,000 hospitalisations and >150 ICU admissions annually. Immunisation is gold-standard for the prevention of influenza outbreaks. The HSE Influenza Immunisation Strategy allocates vaccines to be administered in primary care to patients at-risk and their contacts. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this has become a logistical challenge. We aimed to design and test a drive-through influenza vaccine clinic at a large GP practice in Cork. Method We designed and implemented an online booking system for at-risk patients and their contacts. 1-minute drive-through time slots were available to book for up to 6 people per vehicle. The primary measurement was the number of patients vaccinated with a secondary measurement of time spent vaccinating these patients. Results The pilot clinic occurred on 10/10/2020 with over 600 patients-at-risk & their contacts receiving the influenza vaccination over a time period of 10 hours. The capacity of this clinic was limited by the supply of vaccines. We estimate that 1,800 people could be vaccinated over the same time period with adequate vaccine supply. Conclusions A drive-through influenza vaccination clinic can be efficiently run using an online booking system and serves as a safe, efficient, and convenient way for patients-at-risk & their contacts to receive vaccinations. This system can be rolled out efficiently each winter for influenza vaccination and could be expanded to deliver mass vaccination for SARS-CoV-2.