Pfizer plans to ship 225,000 doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to Texas the first week it is available, and hospitals are planning for distribution. Texas is divided into eight public health regions, and North Texas is expected to receive 60,000 doses of the vaccine.
The vaccine is being shipped as some hospitals in the area are running out ICU beds. Denton County Judge Andy Eads says hospitals there have a total of just five ICU beds available.
"We're down to five staffed ICU beds in all of Denton County. That's an average of one per hospital," he says.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported a total of 2,546 COVID-19 patients at hospitals across the area Thursday. The region had 72 available ICU beds.
When distribution begins, healthcare workers will be first to receive the vaccine. In Dallas, Parkland Hospital is making its plans for distribution, expecting 5,000 to 6,000 doses to start.
"Unfortunately, we don't have any visibility on what's going to come to us beyond week one," says Francesco Mainetti, Parkland's vice president of transformational initiatives.
Mainetti says doctors and nurses will receive the vaccine first, followed by other staff such as custodians and cafeteria workers. Staff will be notified by email when they can receive the vaccine.
Health officials expect the vaccine to be more widely available to the public in the spring.
In addition to ICU beds filling up, Mainetti says hospitals are dealing with staffing issues because of doctors and nurses who cannot work due to exposure to COVID-19.
"By vaccinating this employee population, we can be more consistent. We can be better staffed," he says.
Dallas County reported 2,088 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 Thursday and 30 deaths. Tarrant County reported 1,215 cases and 14 deaths.
Denton County reported 681 cases and no deaths; the state announced 531 cases and three deaths in Collin County.
