HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) ABC13, Houston s news leader, hosted a one-hour town hall Thursday, Dec. 17 (7-8 p.m.), explaining the latest developments on the COVID-19 vaccine and what it all means for those living in southeast Texas.
Eyewitness News reporter Marla Carter gathered leaders from the medical community to highlight recent decisions by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, the latest on the Texas COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, and to answer your questions about getting vaccinated.
Panelists for the town hall included:
Bill McKeon, Texas Medical Center president and CEO
Dr. David Persse, Houston Health Authority
Dr. Mandy Hill, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth
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.
Owensboro resident and volunteer Marla Carter is trying to push the âHugs for the Holidaysâ initiative to gain traction in Kentucky to show support for long-term care residents isolated during the holiday season.
The âHugs for the Holidaysâ initiative calls for a hot pink ribbon to be placed outside of the home to show support for those isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic and their loved ones, according to Carter.
Carter said the initiative was started in Tennessee by an advocacy group called Tennessee Caregivers for Compromise. She said similar groups have formed in just about every state to advocate those in isolation due to COVID-19.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) He s a 39-year-old from Fort Worth, Texas and now, he s made history becoming the first COVID-19 ICU nurse to receive the Pfizer vaccine at Memorial Hermann Hospital.
He also became the first person in the entire city of Houston to receive it. In a room full of cameras, a visibly emotional Robert Luckey got his dose on Tuesday morning.
This is COVID ICU nurse Robert Luckey. He was the first to receive the Pfizer vaccine at Memorial Hermann. This photo is courtesy @memorialhermannpic.twitter.com/WF8tRE06gk Marla Carter (@MarlaABC13) December 15, 2020
Luckey s vaccination was met with much fanfare, the room erupting in applause.
Meet ICU nurse who was 1st in Houston to get COVID-19 shot KTRK
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He s a 39-year-old from Fort Worth, Texas and now, he s made history becoming the first COVID-19 ICU nurse to receive the Pfizer vaccine at Memorial Hermann Hospital.
He also became the first person in the entire city of Houston to receive it. In a room full of cameras, a visibly emotional Robert Luckey got his dose on Tuesday morning.
This is COVID ICU nurse Robert Luckey. He was the first to receive the Pfizer vaccine at Memorial Hermann. This photo is courtesy @memorialhermannpic.twitter.com/WF8tRE06gk Marla Carter (@MarlaABC13) December 15, 2020