State won’t say where COVID-19 vaccine stored, citing security
Thousands of doses of COVID-19 vaccine have already arrived in Wisconsin, and more are expected in the coming weeks. But where exactly is it? That’s a bit of a mystery.
The first doses of the vaccine are being shipped directly to eight regional hubs across the state. Those all have ultra-low temperature storage capabilities required for the Pfizer vaccine, and are willing to distribute it to providers in their regions.
“We have not disclosed the sites where we are delivering this vaccine and storing it for security reasons. This is precious vaccine. We do not want to create any security risks,” Julie Willems Van Dijk, deputy secretary of the state Department of Health Services, said Monday during a virtual news conference. “We’ve been in contact with the Department of Homeland Security, and that is their counsel to us as well.”
She added, “The less we talk about where the vaccine is, the more secure it will be.”
A total of 49,725 doses of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine is arriving in Wisconsin this week, and state officials said the shipments were coming on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
“As we distribute vaccine and we administer vaccine, our department will be providing lots of information about who has received the vaccine across the state, but at this point in time, based on security counsel, we are not disclosing those locations,” Willems Van Dijk said.
But some hospitals have announced that they are serving as hubs.
UW Health in Madison said last week that it would serve as a regional distribution hub for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. And on Monday, UW Health announced that it had received its initial shipment of 3,900 doses and had started vaccinating employees, including respiratory therapist Tina Schubert.
SSM Health-Meriter on Tuesday announced it had received its first shipment and will soon start immunizations.
“A historic day at SSM Health,” the hospital tweeted. “We received our first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The first staff members will be immunized later today.”
The state also hopes to receive about 101,000 doses of the vaccine made by Moderna, as long as the company receives emergency use authorization from the U.S. FDA.
Both vaccines require that people receive two shots, separated by a few weeks.