News4 has obtained a list of two dozen Maryland hospitals expected to receive the first shipment of Pfizer vaccines once it receives emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
Some of the hospitals expected to receive an inaugural shipment of roughly 975 vaccines include Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center, Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Luminis Anne Arundel Medical Center, Holy Cross Hospital, Frederick Health and Meritus Medical Center. (Full list below)
The head of the Maryland Hospital Association confirmed to News4 that the group sent a list of the 24 hospitals to its members earlier this week.
Bob Atlas, MHA’s president and CEO, said it’s his understanding from state health officials that those hospitals were selected based on the number of frontline workers, ability to meet the cold storage requirements necessary for the Pfizer vaccine and location.
Each shipment contains roughly 975 doses.
“The key thing is that since there’s not enough to go around right away, the decision was to make a partial shipment as soon as possible,” Atlas told News4, later adding: “Our understanding is there will be enough shipments to cover hospital workers who might have reason to be exposed” to COVID-19.
A spokesman for the Maryland Department of Health told News4 the state anticipates receiving 155,000 doses from the federal government, including 50,700 from Pfizer and 104,300 from Moderna.
“Every hospital in the state will receive vaccines as part of the initial 155,000 doses we have been allocated, and we expect to continue to receive allocations on a weekly basis,” Charlie Gischlar said, noting that “Phase 1A” of Maryland’s vaccination plan includes health care workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities and first responders.
The bulk of Maryland’s first infusion of vaccines will go to nursing homes and long term care facilities, which have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, with hospitals getting about 40 percent of the remaining vaccines, according to the hospital association.
Coronavirus Cases in Maryland by Zipcode
Data for ZIP codes with 7 or fewer cases is suppressed.
Source: coronavirus.maryland.gov
Credit: Anisa Holmes/NBC Washington
Atlas said hospitals are expected to receive about 75 percent of the second wave of vaccines, provided Moderna receives FDA approval.
Atlas said he expects all Maryland hospitals will receive shipments of vaccines by the end of the month and that hospitals not on the first list will get priority in that second shipment.
In D.C., 6,800 initial doses of the vaccine will be distributed across six hospitals, including Medstar Washington Hospital Center, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital and Howard University Hospital. Shipments will come in seven boxes with 975 doses each.
Virginia has not released a list of hospitals that will get the first doses. The Inova health system told News4 they expect a shipment next week and will vaccinate eligible employees.
Federal veterans’ hospitals in D.C., Baltimore and Richmond will get the first round of vaccines. Just how many doses will be available is unknown, but these are some of the largest Veterans Affairs hospitals in the nation, with dozens of deaths from the virus among patients.
Maryland hospitals expected to receive the first shipment of Pfizer vaccines:
- Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center
- Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center
- The Johns Hopkins Hospital
- Johns Hopkins Bayview
- Johns Hopkins/Howard County General Hospital
- Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center
- Luminis Health Doctors Community Hospital
- MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center
- MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital
- MedStar St. Mary's Hospital
- MedStar Union Memorial Hospital
- UM Medical Center
- UM Capital Region Health
- UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center
- UM St. Joseph Medical Center
- Ascension Saint Agnes
- Carroll Hospital
- Frederick Health
- Holy Cross Hospital
- Meritus Medical Center
- Northwest Hospital
- Sinai Hospital of Baltimore
- TidalHealth Peninsula Regional (split with Atlantic General)
- Atlantic General Hospital (split with Peninsula Regional)
Source: Maryland Hospital Association
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article listed UM Laurel Medical Center among the hospitals to receive the vaccine. Instead the vaccines will go to UM Capital Region Health, which includes UM Laurel Medical Center and UM Prince George’s Hospital Center. It has since been updated.
