Frederick Health Administers First COVID-19 Vaccine to Frontline Staff

On December 17, 2020, Frederick Health has administered the first COVID-19 vaccine in Frederick County. The first doses of Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine were administered at Frederick Health Hospital, to ten of Frederick Health’s frontline workers, including four physicians, 4 nurses, a member of the Environmental Health Services team, and one member of Frederick Health’s leadership team.

Frederick Health Hospital is 1 of 22 Maryland hospitals and health systems to receive an initial shipment of Pfizer’s vaccine, following emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. An initial 975 doses were delivered to Frederick Health Hospital the morning of December 17, 2020. Just hours later, the first vaccines were administered.

"This is a historic day for our community. After spending 10 months playing defense against the COVID-19 virus, we now have this vaccine to put us on the offense," said Dr. Thomas Munro, Chief of Staff, Frederick Health Hospital Board of Directors. “Along with many others around the globe, I feel like we can now turn the tide in the fight against COVID-19."

Following a phased distribution plan developed by the State, vaccines will be offered to Frederick Health’s frontline staff who are in close, continuous contact with COVID positive patients and patients under investigation for COVID. Staff that meet these criteria work in a variety of roles throughout the organization, including nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists, certified nursing assistants, environmental health staff, and many others.

The vaccine is not mandatory and will be offered to Frederick Health staff and active medical staff.

Environmental Health team member, Richard Scott, joins other frontline staff receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Frederick Health is fully prepared to receive, store, distribute, and administer the Pfizer vaccine, as well as the Moderna vaccine once approved. Part of this preparation included acquiring an ultra-low cold freezer that can store the vaccine at -94 degrees Fahrenheit for the Pfizer vaccine and -4 degrees Fahrenheit for the Moderna vaccine. This specialized equipment will allow Frederick Health to receive and store vaccines for longer periods of time, eliminating any risk of waste due to storage conditions.

“An impressive amount of work has gone into preparing for the day a vaccine was approved for emergency use, and that work will continue as we offer this next level of protection to our frontline teams, and ultimately the community we serve,” said Thomas A. Kleinhanzl, President and CEO of Frederick Health. “I’m confident that this vaccine is a critical step toward defeating this pandemic. As a show of my support and confidence, I’m joining members of the Frederick Health team in receiving the vaccine. As more vaccines are available in the coming weeks and months, I hope this show of confidence encourages others to join us in getting this lifesaving vaccine and creating a healthier Frederick community.”

​

Environmental Health team member, Richard Scott, joins other frontline staff receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Frederick Health has moved quickly to stand up testing for COVID-19, provide care to COVID-positive patients, maintain healthcare delivery in the outpatient setting, provide education and reassurance to the community, and adapt to the many challenges presented by COVID-19. To date, Frederick Health has tested over 95,000 individuals for COVID-19 and has successfully treated and discharged over 500 COVID-19 positive patients from Frederick Health Hospital.

--------

About Frederick Health

Frederick Health provides comprehensive healthcare services to the residents of Frederick county. The system includes Frederick Health Hospital, Frederick Health Medical Group, Frederick Health Employer Solutions, Frederick Health Home Care, and Frederick Health Hospice.

Frederick Health Medical Group is a multi-specialty practice with more than 100 providers, 17 specialties and multiple locations across the county. The system has several ambulatory care locations, a freestanding cancer institute, two urgent care locations, and Frederick Health Village.

With over 3,000 employees, Frederick Health provides a full spectrum of healthcare and wellness services to support its mission to positively impact the well-being of every individual in our community.