CLEVELAND — With the timetable of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Ohio made clearer by Gov. Mike DeWine during his Friday briefing, Cleveland Clinic has shared video of their preparations to store vaccines.
Cleveland Clinic has been chosen as one of 10 “pre-positioned” vaccine sites in Ohio, meaning it will be able to quickly distribute any FDA-approved vaccine.
The Clinic has purchased and installed eight ultra-cold freezers in a “freezer farm” at a secure location on its main campus, enabling direct shipments from the manufacturer without a layover at the state’s vaccine storage warehouse.
The temperature-adjustable freezers can accommodate the storage requirements of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
“We’ll be notified by the state that we have an allotment,” Jeffrey Rosner, RPh, Executive Director of Pharmacy Sourcing and Supply Chain Analytics in Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Supply Chain Management said in a statement. “It will be shipped to us in 24 to 48 hours. That’s how tight the window is.”
From the freezer farm, vaccine doses can then be distributed to Cleveland Clinic regional hospitals or other locations for just-in-time vaccination of caregivers and designated recipients, as directed by the state. The setup minimizes the amount of time that vaccine doses are exposed to nonfreezing temperatures, reducing the potential for waste.
You can watch Cleveland Clinic's video featuring its 'Freeze Farm' below:
DeWine announced Friday that around December 15, there will be a shipment of around 88,000 vaccines from Pfizer that will go to Walgreens and CVS to head to those in congregate care settings, with another 9,700 will go to those working in hospitals.
One week later on December 22, the state anticipates a shipment of 201,000 vaccines from Moderna. These will go to 98 hospitals and 108 health departments. Hospitals will vaccinate those dealing with COVID patients. Health departments will vaccinate people like EMS.
On that same day, DeWine says the state also expects another shipment from Pfizer. The tentative number of vaccines in this shipment is 123,000. These will go to Walgreen and CVS for vaccination of those in congregate care settings.
A few days later, DeWine says Ohio expects to get another 148,000 vaccines from Pfizer and 89,000 vaccines from Moderna.
You can see Gov. DeWine's announcement about the vaccine distribution schedule below:
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