Local hospitals among first to get vaccine
TEXARKANA, Texas — CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System and Wadley Regional Medical Center will be among the first hospitals in Texas to receive shipments of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, the first authorized for emergency use in the U.S.
Each local hospital will receive 975 doses of the vaccine this week, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Each recipient must receive two doses 21 days apart.
In accordance with the state vaccine distribution plan, the first people to be vaccinated locally will be front-line health care and emergency services workers, as well as especially vulnerable populations.
“Our team has developed a proprietary application to pre-screen employees, schedule employees for COVID vaccinations, and set reminders for the administration of the second dose of the vaccine,” a statement from Wadley said.
St. Michael, too, has prepared for the vaccine’s arrival.
“We have established a COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic and are in preparation of communicating the days and times vaccinations will be available once we are notified of arrival date. Our multi-disciplinary COVID Vaccine Team has been meeting daily to work out details of the Vaccine Clinic. We also participate in regular calls with CHRISTUS Health leaders, the CDC, Texas Department of State Health Services, and the Texas Hospital Association.
“We are providing vaccine information to our associates on an ongoing basis and are also encouraging individuals to do their own research and receive the vaccine if it is appropriate to their personal health and situation. While we encourage all our associates and physicians to take advantage of the chance to get the vaccine, those who are patient-facing and at greater risk of exposure will be prioritized,” said a statement.
Both hospitals are equipped with the ultra-low-temperature freezers needed to store the vaccine at -94 degrees Fahrenheit, and both hospitals’ staffs have been trained how to handle and administer the vaccine.
“Associates involved in the processes have been and are being educated/ to manage and administer the COVID vaccine. Management and administration of medications including vaccines are skillsets our clinical staff possess for the daily delivery of health care,” the St. Michael statement said.
The first stage of the Texas plan, Phase 1A, divides vaccine recipients into two tiers.
Tier 1, the first to be inoculated, includes:
■ hospital staff working directly with patients who are positive or at high risk for COVID-19;
■ long-term care staff working directly with vulnerable residents;
■ EMS providers who engage in 911 emergency services such as pre-hospital care and transport;
■ home health care workers, including hospice care, who directly interface with vulnerable and high-risk patients; and
■ residents of long-term care facilities.
Tier 2, the next in line, includes:
■ staff in outpatient care offices who interact with symptomatic patients;
■ direct care staff in freestanding emergency medical care facilities and urgent care clinics;
■ community pharmacy staff who may provide direct services to clients, including vaccination or testing for individuals who may have COVID-19;
■ public health and emergency response staff directly involved in administration of COVID-19 testing and vaccinations; ■ last responders who provide mortuary or death services to decedents with COVID-19; and
■ school nurses who provide health care to students and teachers.
Four sites in Texas received 19,500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine Monday morning, according to TDSHS. An additional 19 sites will receive 75,075 doses on Tuesday. Additional shipments are expected to occur later this week.
In all, Texas was allocated 224,250 doses of vaccine to be shipped to 110 providers across the state in the first week of distribution. The focus is on facilities that indicated they will vaccinate at least 975 front-line health care workers since that is the minimum order for the Pfizer vaccine.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected on Friday to authorize emergency use of a similar vaccine developed by pharmaceutical company Moderna. Adding the Moderna vaccine next week, available in batches of 100 doses, will result in more vaccine being available for many more providers across Texas.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines. The traditional approach to vaccination is to inject a weakened or inactivated germ into the body to trigger an immune response to that germ. But mRNA vaccines cause a person’s cells to create proteins found on a virus, which then “teach” the immune system to recognize and fight off infection.
“COVID-19 mRNA vaccines give instructions for our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called the ‘ spike protein.’ The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. …
“At the end of the process, our bodies have learned how to protect against future infection. The benefit of mRNA vaccines, like all vaccines, is those vaccinated gain this protection without ever having to risk the serious consequences of getting sick with COVID-19,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states on its website.
It is unclear when the vaccines will be available to the general public.
“Vaccines will go directly to entities that have been approved by the Texas Department of Health. Plans for the general public have not yet been released,” according to Wadley’s statement.