HYANNIS – Cape Cod Healthcare President and CEO Michael Lauf said that they are ready for the first wave of COVID-19 vaccines set to arrive this month for the vaccination of front-line healthcare workers.
“Cape Cod Healthcare, both Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital, have been approved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as the United States of America to provide and distribute the Pfizer vaccine that will be sent to us sometime at the latter end of next week,” said Lauf.
Governor Charlie Baker said the first shipment of almost 60,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine was ordered from the federal government last week and will be delivered directly to 21 hospitals across 8 counties.
The doses will then be redistributed to 74 hospitals across the state for the vaccination of front line medical workers, first responders and residents most at risk for serious illness designated by the state and the COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group.
“We’re not entirely sure about the dosages yet or the numbers of doses that we will receive. We anticipate that the doses we do get will be able to take care of our front-line staff, both COVID-facing and other clinical areas in its entirety,” said Lauf
30,000 vaccines can be stored between Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital in specialty freezers procured ahead of time, said Lauf.
The Pfizer COVID vaccine requires temperatures of minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit in order to be stored properly.
The first doses of COVID-19 vaccine will not only go free of charge to physicians and nurses, said Lauf, but each and every employee who takes care of patients in the clinical environment.
Lauf said that he hopes to have all CCHC employees receive both doses of the two-dose vaccine by end of January.
Lauf said that the vaccine distribution will be a continuation of the resources, money and staff they have already committed during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to expand public safety, including expanding testing on their campuses as well as the new Hyannis and Falmouth testing sites.
As more employees get vaccinated for the virus, Lauf said that they can better ensure that the vaccine is distributed effectively and efficiently.
Lauf also said that CCHC will continue to follow guidance from the CDC and other infectious disease experts about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
“We have depended on science to lead us since we were faced with this virus back in February of 2020, and we will continue to approach it from a scientific basis. Meaning, we listen to the infectious disease experts, leading healthcare agencies at the federal and state level, as well as our physicians and community members here on the Cape,” said Lauf.
About Grady Culhane
