LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Nearly 1,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are on the way to UofL Health. This is the first batch, and health experts are excited about the vaccine's potential.
What You Need To Know
- UofL Health to store nearly 1,000 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
- Vaccine must be maintained at minus 80 degrees celsius
- After being warmed back up, vaccine can be used within six hours
The vaccine requires very specific storage guidelines. According to Dr. Jason Smith, who heads up vaccine distribution at UofL Heath, it must be maintained at -80 degrees Celsius. Carolyn Callahan, UofL Health's Manager of Media and Multimedia Strategies, confirmed with Spectrum News 1 in an email that UofL Health is prepared to store the vaccine once it arrives.
When the vaccine is ready to be used, the clock starts ticking on when doctors can administer it.
”Once you bring it out of the freezer, you warm it back up and begin to prepare that vaccine for administration to someone. You only have six hours to use it," Smith said.
Those on the front lines will be the first to receive it at 11 hospitals throughout the Commonwealth.
”I think if you look at those hospitals, they are strategically placed around the state to begin the process of vaccinating the healthcare workers in multiple different regions. They are also some of the largest healthcare systems in the area. So you can begin to serve and act for a number of these patients," Smith said.
The goal is to make the vaccine available to other members of the community as soon as possible, but it will take time.
Smith and his team firmly stand behind the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.
”I think this vaccine is going to be very safe from what I've seen thus far. I don't anticipate there being any long-term issues with this vaccine. The other thing I think people need to understand is the way vaccines work is that a certain percentage of patients will have to be vaccinated to stop the spread of disease through the community," he said.
The vaccine requires a booster shot 28 days after the initial dose. The FDA is expected to authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine this week.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story said UofL Health was already storing the vaccine which was incorrect. They are prepared for vaccine storage and distribution. UofL Health was also misidentified as University of Louisvlle Health. Both errors have been corrected.