SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — The first shipment of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Northern California counties early Tuesday morning.
UC Davis is among seven California hospitals to receive a portion of California's first 327,000 allotted doses. In a tweet, UC Davis Health said the shipment was delivered by FedEx and will be stored in dry ice. The vaccines are on their way to a UC Davis' ultra-cold storage freezer, then will soon be administered to frontline workers in the Sacramento region.
UC Davis Health received 4,875 doses of the vaccine.
Hospital spokeswoman Pamela Wu said the plan is to inoculate front-line staff within an hour of vaccine delivery, by appointment. In another tweet from the medical center, it was confirmed that frontline workers will be vaccinated today, Tuesday, Dec. 15.
The first in line are those who work in the emergency department, which includes staff who clean rooms, food service workers, reception staff who greet patients, and those who provide direct patient care such as doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and more.
UPS and FedEx are handling some of the deliveries. About 145 sites across the United States could receive shipments Monday. An additional 636 will receive shipments Tuesday or Wednesday.
Currently, California has several ultra-cold freezers in the state including at the University of California, Davis. Governor Newsom said California currently has the storage capabilities to distribute the first wave of vaccines.
Since the pandemic started, more than 21,000 Californians have died due to the virus.
As of Tuesday morning, the Greater Sacramento Region sits at 14.8% ICU bed capacity as rising coronavirus cases statewide are being linked to Thanksgiving gatherings. The region was put under a stay-at-home order on December 10. The stay-at-home will continue for a minimum of three weeks despite the positive trend.
Hospital leaders say the plan is start vaccinating staff within an hour of vaccine delivery as early as Monday, likely Tuesday.