Frederick Health Continues COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution to Priority Group 1A

Frederick Health Hospital is 1 of 22 Maryland hospital systems receiving shipments of both Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, following emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. Following a phased distribution plan developed by the State, and in coordination with the Frederick County Health Department, vaccine distribution is currently limited to Priority Group 1A; including healthcare workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, and first responders.

As of January 6, 2021, Frederick Health has received a total of 5,200 vaccine doses and has administered first doses to approximately 2,349 Frederick Health staff and providers. Frederick Health is also administering second doses, following the timing requirements of both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, from this initial 5,200 doses received.

Frederick Health held their first COVID-19 vaccine clinic on December 17, 2020, a mere 6 hours after receiving the first shipment of 975 doses of Pfizer vaccine. Over the past two and a half weeks, Frederick Health has held 12 vaccine clinics and 3 more clinics are scheduled to occur before January 9, 2021. Upon completion of these remaining clinics, Frederick Health expects to have administered approximately 2,700 vaccines in the span of 3 weeks.

All Frederick Health employees and medical staff have been offered the vaccine. Others eligible to receive the vaccine include contractors at Frederick Health sites who interact directly with patients, those providing patient care at the ambulatory surgery center, and volunteers providing critical support services to the hospital during the current surge. Under Emergency Use Authorization, receipt of the vaccine is not mandatory. At Frederick Health, 68% of those offered the vaccine have elected to receive it at this time.

Frederick Health is fully prepared to receive, store, distribute, and administer both Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. 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. Frederick Health can store vaccines for up to 6 months, eliminating any risk of waste.

Frederick Health is aligned with the Frederick County Health Department, currently focused on vaccine distribution to Priority Group 1A. Timing for distribution to Priority Group 1B, which includes those at significantly higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, will be determined by the Frederick County Health Department.

To receive updates on this process, you can text FredCoVID19 to 888777 for COVID-19 Updates from the Frederick County Health Department.

About Frederick Health and COVID-19 Response

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 100,000 individuals for COVID-19 and has successfully treated and discharged over 660 COVID-19 positive patients from Frederick Health Hospital.

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.