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.
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.
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.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) The first doses of Pfizer s COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Texas.
MD Anderson Cancer Center was one of four sites in the state to receive 4,875 of the 19,500 doses of the vaccine sent out Monday morning. An additional 19 sites will receive 75,075 doses on Tuesday. They ve been preparing for quite some time to manage cold chain storage and they ve also undergone training for the reconstitution and preparation of the vaccine when it needs to be administered in the clinic, said MD Anderson Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Welela Tereffe.
These are the first images of the COVID-19 vaccine arrival in Houston, specifically at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Courtesy: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) The first doses of Pfizer s COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Texas.
MD Anderson Cancer Center was one of four sites in the state to receive 4,875 of the 19,500 doses of the vaccine sent out Monday morning. An additional 19 sites will receive 75,075 doses on Tuesday. They ve been preparing for quite some time to manage cold chain storage and they ve also undergone training for the reconstitution and preparation of the vaccine when it needs to be administered in the clinic, said MD Anderson Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Welela Tereffe.
These are the first images of the COVID-19 vaccine arrival in Houston, specifically at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Courtesy: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center