Appalachian Hospital In Kentucky Vaccinates Workers

[appalachiablue]

AP News, Dec. 15, 2020. PIKEVILLE, Ky. — The new COVID-19 vaccine arrived at an Appalachian hospital in Kentucky, and medical workers received the first injections.

The Pikeville Medical Center was one of a handful of regional hospitals to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Tuesday.

Dr. Fadi Al Akhrass, Pikeville Medical’s infectious disease specialist, received the first injection during a live-streamed news conference Tuesday afternoon. Al Akrass urged the public to have confidence in the vaccine.

“I’m a true believer that this is going to be our only option, and it’s going to be an amazing option to turn around this pandemic,” he said.

The hospital, which was required to have facilities for ultra-cold storage, received 975 doses meant for medical workers. A Louisville hospital received the first Kentucky shipment of the vaccine on Monday.

Health care workers are first in line for the vaccine, but about 25,000 doses from the first batch to Kentucky will be dedicated to vaccinating people in long-term care facilities. Gov. Andy Beshear said he hopes to have the entire long-term care population vaccinated within two months...

More, https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-europe-coronavirus-pandemic-germany-coronavirus-vaccine-13716eb0fc91706d09333d00e31a36f6



- FedEx driver Jeremy Cloud scans a box of the first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 before putting it in a freezer, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, shortly after it arrived at Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, south of Seattle. The hospital plans to start the first round of vaccinations on Wednesday.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. I wonder why they'd get an odd number of doses,

given everyone needs two.

I have read any number of things announcing an odd number of doses being shipped.

[Cicada]

2. Maybe they expect some breakage, say five per thousand

970 divided by two for 435 at risk medical care workers, plus one extra per every 200, due to expected breakage etc

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. Breakage?

That seems a bit odd, but I have no idea how the vaccine is actually packaged.

[Cicada]

4. I watched, it comes in a little glass bottle

A little glass bottle holds one dose. That bottle is held with one hand while the needle is stuck through the top of the bottle, which seems like a rubber gasket or something. As I watched I worried that the bottle might be dropped or that the needle might be bent. If I had to do it I think I would have a good chance of screwing up so that I would have to start over with a second bottle of vaccine.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. The people doing that have been loading syringes that way

for a very long time, so I'm sure not many vials ever get dropped. Which should be reassuring to all of us.

[Cicada]

6. My friend said left knee, left knee, left knee until he went under

Just in case. I have faith humans can screw up. Maybe that’s just projection from my own tendencies.