Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Valley Children’s Will Be Regional COVID Vaccine Hub, Hospital Says
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 4 years ago on
December 3, 2020

Share

Valley Children’s Hospital has been named as a regional “pre-positioning” COVID-19 vaccine distribution site by the California Department of Public Health, officials said Wednesday.

The hospital has adequate freezer capacity to store several hundred thousand vaccine doses, the hospital said in a news release. The first vaccines expected to receive federal approval, manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna, require two-doses. Pfizer’s vaccine must be stored at an ultra-low temperature, while Moderna’s requires cold storage closer to that of a regular freezer.

California is expecting to receive a shipment 327,000 doses of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine in mid-December, with more from Moderna and other companies following, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. How many doses will be sent by the state to the Central Valley is not yet known.

Portrait of Todd Suntrapak, president/CEO, Valley Children's Healthcare

“In this role, we will be expected to receive, store and distribute the vaccine to other healthcare providers and organizations across our region, according to specific CDPH guidelines.”– Todd Suntrapak, Valley Children’s Hospital CEO

“From the very start of this pandemic, Valley Children’s has been recognized as a statewide leader in our response to this pandemic,” said Todd Suntrapak, Valley Children’s CEO said. “In this role, we will be expected to receive, store and distribute the vaccine to other healthcare providers and organizations across our region, according to specific CDPH guidelines.”

Vaccinations Will be Prioritized

California officials are working to determine who should be first in line for vaccination. On Tuesday, the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended health care workers and nursing home residents be the first to get shots.

There’s broad consensus that California’s 2 million health care industry workers with potential virus exposure on the job should be among those prioritized.

“We want to take care of the healthcare workers so they can take care of you,” Dr. Oliver Brooks, co-chair of the state’s Drafting Guidelines Workgroup, said Tuesday.

But since there won’t initially be enough vaccine to cover them all, the workgroup is drafting detailed guidance outlining who within the group should get first dibs.

Experts have advised the state to prioritize workers in acute care hospitals and those in risky health care work settings or who face more risk themselves due to age or health conditions.

Counties Will Handle Vaccine Allocation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to consider this month authorizing emergency use of the vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna. Current estimates project that no more than 20 million doses of each vaccine will be available across the U.S. by the end of 2020.

California has formed a working group of scientists and health experts who will also review the vaccines for safety and efficacy and to ensure public confidence. Dr. Arthur Reingold, who chairs the state’s Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, said he doesn’t expect any delay in the rollout of these vaccines as group members are reviewing the data within a day of its release to federal officials.

“We will be basically doing our work along a similar time frame,” Reingold said. “I’m optimistic based on what we’ve seen so far, but you know, we need to see the rest of the information.”

Within California, counties will handle vaccine allocation in line with state guidance with some room for variation based on local conditions, officials said.

Newsom said he would have a distribution plan for the initial vaccines by the end of the week.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

DON'T MISS

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

DON'T MISS

Shohei Ohtani Adds Another No. 1 to His Resume: MLB’s Best-Selling Jersey

DON'T MISS

Tush Push Is the Hottest Topic at the NFL League Meetings

DON'T MISS

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Will Review Billions in Funding for Harvard

DON'T MISS

Former MLB Pitcher CJ Wilson of Fresno on New Torpedo Bats: ‘Still Room for Innovation’

DON'T MISS

Man Arrested After Shooting at Fresno’s Switch Nightclub

DON'T MISS

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

DON'T MISS

French Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen Barred From Seeking Office for 5 Years

DON'T MISS

I Will Force Votes on Blocking Arms Sales to Israel: Sen. Bernie Sanders

UP NEXT

Former MLB Pitcher CJ Wilson of Fresno on New Torpedo Bats: ‘Still Room for Innovation’

UP NEXT

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest 12 for DUI, Plan More Enforcement Operations

UP NEXT

Collision Leaves Two Dead, Several Injured After Clovis Police Chase

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: William Rodriguez Garcia

UP NEXT

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

UP NEXT

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

UP NEXT

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

UP NEXT

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

UP NEXT

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

1 hour ago

Trump Administration Will Review Billions in Funding for Harvard

2 hours ago

Former MLB Pitcher CJ Wilson of Fresno on New Torpedo Bats: ‘Still Room for Innovation’

2 hours ago

Man Arrested After Shooting at Fresno’s Switch Nightclub

2 hours ago

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

3 hours ago

French Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen Barred From Seeking Office for 5 Years

3 hours ago

I Will Force Votes on Blocking Arms Sales to Israel: Sen. Bernie Sanders

3 hours ago

Man Faces Life in Prison After Conviction for 2019 Visalia Murder

5 hours ago

What Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Could Mean for Americans: Fareed Zakaria

5 hours ago

A Look at Fresno City College’s New $87 Million Science Building

5 hours ago

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Despite some heavy rainstorms and squalls of snow in recen...

16 minutes ago

16 minutes ago

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

39 minutes ago

Shohei Ohtani Adds Another No. 1 to His Resume: MLB’s Best-Selling Jersey

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) lines up for the goal line Tush Push play during the NFL championship playoff football game against the Washington Commanders, Jan. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP File)
42 minutes ago

Tush Push Is the Hottest Topic at the NFL League Meetings

1 hour ago

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

Harvard University’s campus in Cambridge, Mass., Sept. 6, 2024. The Trump administration said on Monday, March 31, 2025, that it was reviewing roughly $9 billion in federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard, accusing the school of allowing antisemitism to run unchecked on its campus. (Sophie Park/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Trump Administration Will Review Billions in Funding for Harvard

2 hours ago

Former MLB Pitcher CJ Wilson of Fresno on New Torpedo Bats: ‘Still Room for Innovation’

Ian McDonough, 26, was arrested after a shooting outside a Fresno nightclub left another man injured, police said. (Fresno PD)
2 hours ago

Man Arrested After Shooting at Fresno’s Switch Nightclub

3 hours ago

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend