Methodist Hospital received more than 5,000 doses, which is part of their 13,650 allotment.
When the vaccines arrive, they go into freezers with a temperature of -80 degrees Celcius. That s about -112 degrees Fahrenheit, which is colder than the surface of Mars.
The doses are stored in the freezer room until they re ready to thaw for the shots.
Officials have only five minutes to move the vials into a freezer to make sure they stay cold enough to be effective. The stakes are high with the vaccine as it s all about timing. We ve got to have a thawing time of 30 minutes. If we thaw it out, it lasts us up to six hours. So we ve got six hours of administration time, explained Binita Patel with Memorial Hermann Pharmacy Services.
Credit: UTHSCT
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler and CHRISTUS Good Shepherd in Longview will receive the vaccine later in the week.
I’m at @UTHealthTyler where the first #COVID19 vaccines in East Texas are about to arrive. @kytxcbs19pic.twitter.com/GNy3yDlqKW David Lippman CBS19 (@david lippman) December 15, 2020
Texas will receive more than 220,000 doses of Pfizer s COVID-19 vaccine in the first week of distribution, state health officials say.
Those doses will be shipping to 109 hospitals across 34 counties, according to the DSHS.
The
vaccine plan from DSHS prioritizes hospital staff who work with patients, home health care workers, and staff and residents at long-term care facilities as the focus for early vaccination.
Methodist Hospital received more than 5,000 doses, which is part of their 13,650 allotment.
When the vaccines arrive, they go into freezers with a temperature of -80 degrees Celcius. That s about -112 degrees Fahrenheit, which is colder than the surface of Mars.
The doses are stored in the freezer room until they re ready to thaw for the shots.
Officials have only five minutes to move the vials into a freezer to make sure they stay cold enough to be effective. The stakes are high with the vaccine as it s all about timing. We ve got to have a thawing time of 30 minutes. If we thaw it out, it lasts us up to six hours. So we ve got six hours of administration time, explained Binita Patel with Memorial Hermann Pharmacy Services.
7 Houston-area hospitals receive first doses of COVID-19 vaccine
7 Houston-area hospitals receive first doses of COVID-19 vaccine Front-line and health care workers will get the vaccine first.
Photo courtesy of BCM Four sites in Texas received the COVID-19 vaccine on December 14, part of a rollout of doses being shipped out across the U.S. Texas received 19,500 doses, with another 250,000 doses being distributed to 109 facilities in Texas this week. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the first four sites to get it were: MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Methodist Dallas Medical Center UT Health Austin s Dell Medical School
Houston-area hospital workers begin to receive COVID-19 vaccine KTRK
Replay Video
It was an historic day at Houston hospitals as the first healthcare workers received the COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 ICU nurse Robert Luckey was the first to receive the Pfizer vaccine at Memorial Hermann Hospital. He was also the first person in Houston to get the vaccine.
Luckey s vaccination was met with much fanfare, the room erupting in applause.
Visibly emotional, even while wearing a mask, Luckey said this has been both a rewarding and trying time. It s a big moment because so many people have been touched by the virus, the disease. So I think this will bring hope for a lot of people, Luckey said.