COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Information and Updates

Individuals vaccinated by the end of last week: 1,983

First dose individuals: 1,220

Second dose individuals: 763

We received 195 vials of frozen Pfizer last week.  UCGH is monitoring weekly nationwide shortages and maintaining a conservative approach, we are setting aside re-vaccination dosages for the following weeks to prevent the risk of not having enough doses to provide our communities re-vaccination doses.  In addition, you can see on the NM DOH website that Union County is Number 1 for the last two weeks for vaccine administration per 100 Residents.  This is somewhat misleading, as per state mandates we must stay within the correct phase.  UCGH has been vaccinating numerous individuals from other counties who are in phase 1A and 1B who have not been able to get a dose within their own community.  After much communication and clarification, the state will be changing their reporting to report by where the patient lives and not by where the vaccine is delivered.  Many NM counties are not seeing the vaccination figures and successes as we are here in our county and the state is worried about the inequalities of vaccine administration.

We will continue to comply with the NM DOH Phase of administration as above.  If any person who is 16 and above in Union County and wishes to receive the vaccine or have their name added to our “Place in Line” list, please call Stacye Bradley 575-374-7004 or Dana Maez 575-374-2585 (ext. 7162) and leave a message.  Please call to save your place in line even if you are in the General Public Phase.

As vaccines become available, staff will call the individuals on the list starting with the higher phases and moving down to the General Public as the state allows.  We do not have an exact date of when the General Public will get their vaccines, this is dependent on the number of vaccines we are able to allocate from the state and when the state allows for later phases to open.  However, we do move to a later phase to avoid any vaccine wastage, which is state allowed.  We will contact individuals that are on our list.

UCGH conducted nine COVID-19 test last week, with two positive test results.  Please visit our website or Facebook for totals and ongoing data.

Union County General Hospital is dedicated to transparency and education, please see our web site and/or Facebook for additional information.  We work hard to provide our community with ongoing information in many different forms of communication.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a question or a concern.

Thank you,

Tammie Stump, CEO

Union County General Hospital

Individuals vaccinated by end of last week: 1,518

First dose individuals: 1,165

Second dose individuals: 353

We were approved for delivery this week by the NM DOH for 195 vials of frozen Pfizer.  UCGH is monitoring weekly nationwide shortages and maintaining a conservative approach, we are setting aside re-vaccination dosages for the following week to prevent the risk of not having enough doses to provide our communities re-vaccination doses.

We will continue to comply with the NM DOH Phase of administration as above.  If any person who is 16 and above in Union County and wishes to receive the vaccine or have their name added to our “Place in Line” list, please call Stacye Bradley 575-374-7004 or Dana Maez 575-374-2585 (ext. 7162) and leave a message.  Please call to save your place in line even if you are in the General Public Phase.  As vaccines become available, staff will call the individuals on the list starting with the higher phases and moving down to the General Public as the state allows.  We do not have an exact date of when the General Public will get their vaccines, this is dependent on the number of vaccines we are able to allocate from the state and when the state allows for later phases to open.  However, we do move to a later phase to avoid any vaccine wastage, which is state allowed.  We will contact individuals that are on our list.

What are the decision points to transition to other phases by the state?

While supplies are limited during the initial phases of vaccine distribution, several important principles should be followed to keep distribution flowing smoothly.

1. Vaccination in one phase does not have to be complete before vaccination in another phase begins.
2. Vaccination of individuals in different phases can occur simultaneously. Anyone from an earlier subphase should be allowed to receive vaccine during a later subphase.
3. The timing of the transition between phases depends on several factors, and operations should be adjusted based on local context:

• Supply of vaccine is based on allocation from the federal level to New Mexico.
• Capacity to administer the vaccine varies in different regions.
• Demand for vaccine and uptake rates differ across populations.
• Geographic dispersion and frontier areas affect access to the vaccine.

UCGH conducted eight COVID-19 test last week, with one positive, two pending asymptomatic and five negatives.  Please visit our website or Facebook for total and ongoing data.

Union County General Hospital is dedicated to transparency and education, please see our web site and/or Facebook for additional information.  We work hard to provide our community with ongoing information in many different forms of communication.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a question or a concern.

Thank you,

Tammie Stump, CEO

Union County General Hospital

Individuals vaccinated by end of last week: 1,267

First dose individuals: 982

Second dose individuals: 285

We ordered additional frozen Pfizer vaccines last week for this week; however secondary to nationwide shortage of vaccination we did not receive the 195 vials of frozen Pfizer doses this week.  We were told by the state that we are approved for 50 vials of refrigerated Pfizer that should be delivered this week.  The refrigerated vials must be used within 5 days of receiving.  The frozen Pfizer may be stored in our newly purchased ultra-cold medical grade freezer for up to 6 months.  UCGH has monitored not only doses in NM, but Nation-wide and as a conservative approach, we have set aside re-vaccination dosages for this week and next in order to prevent mishaps that are now occurring in other communities of our state where they have not had enough doses to provide their communities re-vaccination doses.

We will continue to comply with the NM DOH Phase of administration.  If any person who is 16 and above in Union County and wishes to receive the vaccine, please call Stacye Bradley 575-374-7004 or Dana Maez 575-374-2585 (ext. 7162) and leave a message.  Call to save your place in line even if you are in the General Public Phase.  As vaccines become available, staff will call the individuals on the list starting with the higher phases and moving down to the General Public as the state allows.  We do not have an exact date of when the General Public will get their vaccines, this is dependent on the number of vaccines we are able to allocate from the state and when the state allows for later phases to open.  However, we do move to a later phase in order to avoid any vaccine wastage, which is state allowed.  We will contact individuals that are on our list.

If I have already registered on the DOH site for a vaccine, do I need to still call hospital to be placed on their list as well?

Yes, currently the hospital does not have access to the DOH Vaccine Finder site.  We also believe that based upon how often the DOH is in Union County, that the Hospital may be slightly ahead of them on vaccine administration.   Please call the numbers above and get your name on the Hospital’s list for your appropriate phase if you want a vaccine.

What are the side effects that UCGH has seen so far in the 1,267 individuals who have been vaccinated with the Pfizer Vaccine?

So far, we have only had soreness at the sight of injection that last less than a day with first dose administration.  This is said to be similar to other injections such as Tetanus and B12 injections.  We are seeing more fatigue, muscle aching and fever lasting about a day with the second dose administration.

What are the decision points to transition to other phases by the state?

While supplies are limited during the initial phases of vaccine distribution, several important principles should be followed to keep distribution flowing smoothly.

1. Vaccination in one phase does not have to be complete before vaccination in another phase begins.
2. Vaccination of individuals in different phases can occur simultaneously. Anyone from an earlier subphase should be allowed to receive vaccine during a later subphase.
3. The timing of the transition between phases depends on several factors, and operations should be adjusted based on local context:

• • Supply of vaccine is based on allocation from the federal level to New Mexico.
  • Capacity to administer the vaccine varies in different regions.
  • Demand for vaccine and uptake rates differ across populations.
  • Geographic dispersion and frontier areas affect access to the vaccine.

Union County General Hospital is dedicated to transparency and education, please see our web site and/or Facebook for additional information.  We work hard to provide our community with ongoing information in many different forms of communication.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a question or a concern.

I would like to personally thank the staff and team at UCGH for the amazing job they are doing in order for not only the hospital to continue to run as seamlessly as possible, but to be able to offer these vaccines in the most timely and efficient manner possible.  I have been on numerous calls with other healthcare CEOs around the state and they are not having the positive, seamless flow that we are seeing here at UCGH.  This is 100% due to our great staff here and I personally am grateful for all that they do.

Thank you,

Tammie Stump, CEO

Union County General Hospital

Individuals vaccinated by end of last week: 902

We have ordered additional frozen Pfizer vaccines for next week in order to accommodate patients getting their second vaccines as well as those needing their first. The frozen vaccines can be stored for up to 6 months in our newly purchased ultra-cold medical grade freezer. We continue to comply with the NM DOH phases of administration (seen above).

We have built a tracking system for vaccines for each phase (see above). If any person who is 16 and older in Union County wishes to receive the vaccine, please call Stacye Bradley at 575-374-7004 or Dana Maez at 575-374-2585 (ext 7162) and leave a message. Please call to save a place in line even if you are in the General Public Phase. As vaccines become available, staff will call the individuals on the list starting with the higher phases and moving down to the general public. We do not have an exact date when the general public will get their vaccines, this is dependent on the number of vaccines we are able to allocate from the state. However, as we do move through later phases to avoid any vaccine wastage, we will contact individuals on the list.

If I have already registered on the DOH site for a vaccine, do I need to still call hospital to be placed on their list as well?

Yes, currently the hospital does not have access to the DOH Vaccine Finder site.  We also believe that based upon how often the DOH is in Union County, that the Hospital may be slightly ahead of them on vaccine administration.   Please call the numbers above and get your name on the Hospital’s list for your appropriate phase if you want a vaccine.

What are the side effects that UCGH has seen so far in the 437 individuals who have been vaccinated with the Pfizer Vaccine?

So far, we have only had soreness at the sight of injection that last less than a day with first dose administration.  This is said to be similar to other injections such as Tetanus and B12 injections.  We are seeing more fatigue, muscle aching and fever lasting about a day with the second dose administration.

What are the decision points to transition to other phases by the state?

While supplies are limited during the initial phases of vaccine distribution, several important principles should be followed to keep distribution flowing smoothly.

1. Vaccination in one phase does not have to be complete before vaccination in another phase begins.
2. Vaccination of individuals in different phases can occur simultaneously. Anyone from an earlier subphase should be allowed to receive vaccine during a later subphase.
3. The timing of the transition between phases depends on several factors, and operations should be adjusted based on local context:

• • Supply of vaccine is based on allocation from the federal level to New Mexico.
  • Capacity to administer the vaccine varies in different regions.
  • Demand for vaccine and uptake rates differ across populations.
  • Geographic dispersion and frontier areas affect access to the vaccine.

Union County General Hospital is dedicated to transparency and education, please see our website and/or Facebook for additional information.  We work hard to provide our community with ongoing information in many different forms of communication.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a question or a concern.

Thank you,

Tammie Stump, CEO

Union County General Hospital

UCGH vaccinated 437 individuals by the end of last week.  We continue to order additional vaccines each week.  This week we were state approved for the order of 195 vials of the frozen ultra-cold vaccine, Pfizer for storage of up to 6 months in the newly purchased ultra-cold medical grade freezer.  This is approximately 1,170 doses that should be delivered to the hospital this week.  We will continue to comply with the NM DOH Phase of administration as above.  We have built a tracking system for vaccines with each of the phases above.  If any person who is 16 and above in Union County and wishes to receive the vaccine, please call Stacye Bradley 575-374-7004 or Dana Maez 575-374-2585 (ext. 7162) and leave a message.  Your information will be assessed by your primary provider to which phase you will be placed.  As vaccines become available, staff will call the individuals on the list starting with the higher phases and moving down to the General Public.  We do not have an exact date of when the General Public will get their vaccines, this is dependent on the number of vaccines we are able to allocate from the state.

If I have already registered on the DOH site for a vaccine, do I need to still call hospital to be placed on their list as well?

Yes, currently the hospital does not have access to the DOH Vaccine Finder site.  We also believe that based upon how often the DOH is in Union County, that the Hospital may be slightly ahead of them on vaccine administration.   Please call the numbers above and get your name on the Hospital’s list for your appropriate phase if you want a vaccine.

What are the side effects that UCGH has seen so far in the 437 individuals who have been vaccinated with the Pfizer Vaccine?

So far, we have only had soreness at the sight of injection that last less than a day with first dose administration.  This is said to be similar to other injections such as Tetanus and B12 injections.  We are seeing more fatigue, muscle aching and fever lasting about a day with the second dose administration.

What are the decision points to transition to other phases by the state?

While supplies are limited during the initial phases of vaccine distribution, several important principles should be followed to keep distribution flowing smoothly.

1. Vaccination in one phase does not have to be complete before vaccination in another phase begins.
2. Vaccination of individuals in different phases can occur simultaneously. Anyone from an earlier subphase should be allowed to receive vaccine during a later subphase.
3. The timing of the transition between phases depends on several factors, and operations should be adjusted based on local context:
   • Supply of vaccine is based on allocation from the federal level to New Mexico.
   • Capacity to administer the vaccine varies in different regions.
   • Demand for vaccine and uptake rates differ across populations.
   • Geographic dispersion and frontier areas affect access to the vaccine.

Union County General Hospital is dedicated to transparency and education, please see our web site and/or Facebook for additional information.  We work hard to provide our community with ongoing information in many different forms of communication.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a question or a concern.

Thank you,

Tammie Stump, CEO

Union County General Hospital

Click here for updated vaccine summary information.

Union County General Hospital has vaccinated 277 individuals so far for COVID-19.  Each week UCGH orders additional vaccines for the following week.  Last week, we ordered enough Pfizer for the first round of second doses of individuals who received the vaccine 21 days before, plus we ordered new first doses of Pfizer.  In addition, we ordered doses of Moderna Vaccines.  Over the New Year’s holiday, we found out that our Moderna Vaccines were not filled by the state and that our new first doses of Pfizer were cut in half.  This is for your information only; we will continue to order each week.

Who gets the first doses?

As per the NM State DOH guidelines, Healthcare Workers, First Responders and High-Risk Patients are in the upper phases, followed by Essential Workers and General Public.

How do I get my name on the list for one of the phases for which I meet the requirements for?

Any Union County resident who wants a COVID-19 Vaccine may call and leave messages on the following numbers Stacye Bradley 575-374-7004 or Dana Maez 575-374-2585 (ext. 7162).  Your information will be assessed by your primary provider to which phase you will be placed.  As vaccines become available, staff will call the individuals on the list starting with the higher phases and moving down to the General Public.  We do not have an exact date of when the General Public will get their vaccines, this is dependent on the number of vaccines we are able to allocate from the state.

If I have already registered on the DOH site for a vaccine, do I need to still call hospital to be placed on their list as well?

Yes, currently the hospital does not have access to the DOH Vaccine Finder site.  We also believe that based upon how often the DOH is in Union County, that the Hospital may be slightly ahead of them on vaccine administration.   Please call the numbers above and get your name on the Hospital’s list for your appropriate phase if you want a vaccine.

What are the side effects that UCGH has seen so far in the 277 individuals who have been vaccinated with the Pfizer Vaccine?

So far, we have only had soreness at the sight of injection that last less than a day.  This is said to be similar to other injections such as Tetanus and B12 injections.

Thank you,

Tammie Stump, CEO

Union County General Hospital

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

Click here for additional information on the different vaccine trials and additional info. (Updated version posted on January 11 update)