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CANTON, Ohio – Aultman Hospital in Canton is set to become one of the first sites in Ohio to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Chris Parrish, senior vice president of Aultman Healthcare Delivery System, expects 975 doses to be shipped to hospital from Pfizer, which is requesting emergency use of this vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration.
Aultman is one of 10 hospitals in eight regions that have been chosen as pre-positioning locations. Aultman is in Region 5. Two hospitals in Region 2, Cleveland Clinic and Metro Health Medical Center, are also on the list to receive the vaccine.
Once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices makes its recommendations – perhaps in December – the vaccine will be given to intensive care workers who are on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak. .
“We could be notified within hours or days of when the pre-positioning distribution will take place,” Parrish said.
Parrish believes that one of the reasons Aultman was selected is due to its ultra-cold storage unit, which can hold 100,000 doses.
“Once they distributed it, we could keep this vaccine here in our ultra-cold storage capacity for a few weeks while it goes through the CDC process.
Parrish said the hospital was identifying doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who would be eligible for the vaccine if they chose to get it.
“Due to their exposure to COVID, we obviously want them to at least have the opportunity to take the vaccine when it becomes available and as soon as possible.”
Parrish said there was also a plan in place for workers who received the first vaccine to also receive a booster dose about 2 and a half weeks later.
“This booster is not one of the initial 970s that we will get. The state has identified a mechanism to get us this secondary distribution,” he said.
Aultman, like many hospitals in Ohio, has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.
“Our available beds are essential at this time. We are working feverishly to make more beds available. Like all Ohio State hospitals, we’re struggling with capacity, ”Parrish said.
Even with encouraging news about vaccines, hospital leaders in northeast Ohio continue to urge people not to let their guard down by wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
“Certainly from a hospital point of view, we’re a long way from coming out of the end of the tunnel with this,” Parrish said.
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