HOUSTON – The Texas Department of State Health Services announced nearly 95,000 doses of the COVID-19 are headed to the hospitals across the state.
About 19,500 doses will be arriving at four sites Monday. While 75,075 doses will be arriving at 19 sites on Tuesday including Memorial Hermann.
Recommended Videos
“This was shipped by Pfizer in special insulated cases using dry ice,” said Memorial Hermann Infectious Specialist Linda Yancy. “So they are going to get loaded from the truck and go directly to the pharmacy where they will be loaded directly into the freezers.”
Yancy said the vaccine doses will have to thaw but front-line workers can begin being vaccinated shortly after. She expects it will take a few weeks to do it though.
“We have already begun to schedule people to come into employee health and get vaccinated and that is employee, physicians and respiratory therapists,” Yancy said.
The state expects the vaccine for the remaining 86 sites to begin shipping later in the week.
Here is a breakdown of the state hospitals based on the day:
Monday
Austin, UTHealth Austin Dell Medical School
Dallas, Methodist Dallas Medical Center
Houston, MD Anderson Cancer Center
San Antonio, Wellness 360 (UTHealth San Antonio)
Tuesday
Amarillo, Texas Tech Univ. Health Science Center Amarillo
Corpus Christi, Christus Spohn Health System Shoreline
Dallas, Parkland Hospital
Dallas, UT Southwestern
Edinburg, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance
Edinburg, UT Health RGV Edinburg
El Paso, University Medical Center El Paso
Fort Worth, Texas Health Resources Medical Support
Galveston, University of Texas Medical Branch Hospital
Houston, Texas Children’s Hospital Main
Houston, LBJ Hospital
Houston, CHI St. Luke’s Health
Houston, Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center
Houston, Houston Methodist Hospital
Houston, Ben Taub General Hospital
Lubbock, Covenant Medical Center
San Angelo, Shannon Pharmacy
Temple, Baylor Scott and White Medical Center
Tyler, UT Health Science Center Tyler
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center released a statement Sunday regarding COVID-19 vaccine delivery and distribution:
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is prepared to accept, store and distribute the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine following the Food and Drug Administration’s decision on Friday, Dec. 11, to grant Emergency Use Authorization. At present, state and local health officials have allocated 4,875 doses of vaccine in the first shipment to MD Anderson for use with frontline health care workers, which is scheduled for delivery on Monday, Dec. 14. Supplies needed to administer the vaccine were received last week.
MD Anderson’s initial vaccination clinics will safely and efficiently vaccinate health care workers caring for highly immune compromised patients and those with increased risk of occupational exposure. Vaccination clinics are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Dec. 16. MD Anderson is committed to providing workforce members accurate information to help them decide whether and when to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. All safety precautions and current COVID-19 protocols, including masking, social distancing, handwashing and visitor limitations, continue to be required.
Due to COVID-19 precautions, all visitors, including media, are not allowed on campus. Photos and video content from the vaccine delivery will be made available on Monday.