COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Information and Updates
Union County received 15 vials of Pfizer Vaccinations on 12/16/2020, this was thought to be 75 doses. However, most vials had six doses at least. We are excited to announce that with the first shipment of state-provided vaccines, the hospital was able to vaccinate 91 individuals. As per New Mexico state guidelines, we started with Healthcare workers, then we offered the remaining doses to Union County First Responders. Because of storage mandates of this vaccine, we only have 5 days to give the vaccine once it arrives. Once a vial is reconstituted, we have only 6 hours to give the entire vial of reconstituted vaccine. Once offered to all hospital healthcare workers and first responders who were available in the time frames of administration as just discussed had first right of refusal of the vaccine, we then began with Medical Provider documented high-risk patients. This list will come from your primary provider who believes that based on your medical condition that you are at a higher risk of complications from getting COVID-19.
Nursing and Rehabilitation will obtain their doses from their contracted private pharmacies; therefore, they will not be included in the Hospital’s vaccine administration and allotment of vaccines. We are being told by the NM Department of Health that the prison will be in a later phase and they will receive directly from the state their allotment of vaccines.
On Friday, 12/18/2020, the hospital ordered another shipment of the vaccine. We are being told that this shipment may be decreased from the amount we received last week. However, we will not know until the shipment arrives. We will again offer to any Hospital Healthcare worker who did not obtain a vaccine from the previous week and wants the vaccine first, then to first responders who did not get it. Then again, we will continue to call and offer it to anyone on the Medical Provider’s High-Risk list as vaccine supply is available. Any Union County resident who does not have a Primary Provider here in Clayton who is over 65 years of age with underlying health conditions may call and leave messages on the following numbers to be reviewed for addition to the Medical High-Risk list. Stacye Bradley 575-374-7004 or Dana Maez 575-374-7200 (Ext. 7162).
On January 6, 2021, we will start giving all the individuals who got their first dose 21-days before their second dose. It is unknown if the state will send enough doses for both the individual’s second dose plus new fist dose vaccines. I will let the public know when we have more information.
Thank you,
Tammie Stump, CEO
Union County General Hospital
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