TCU receives first batch of COVID-19 vaccines

By Benton McDonald

Published Dec 22, 2020

Dr. Joseph Varon, the chief medical officer at United Memorial Medical Center, receives the first dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine after receiving a delivery of 200 doses, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, in Houston. The hospital, which serves primarily low-income and uninsured patients, did not receive any of the Pfizer vaccines last week. This week, Houston hospitals will receive 3,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, according to the Houston Health Department. It will be distributed to healthcare workers, in accordance with the Texas Department of State Health Services guidelines. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)

TCU health center staff will likely be among the first people to receive a COVID-19 vaccine on campus.

A batch of 100 doses is on its way to the Brown-Lupton Health Center, according to an email sent Monday. The university is expecting the Moderna vaccine, which was granted emergency authorization by the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday.

The university said in an email that the vaccine will be distributed based on protocols from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Health center staff will be some of the first to have the option to receive the vaccine.

The Moderna vaccine requires two doses, with the second coming 28 days after the first.

The email also said that the university does not know when they will receive their next batch of vaccines, or how large it will be.

Cases rise as vaccines begin

The approval of the Moderna vaccine came one week after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine became the first to be granted emergency authorization by the FDA.

The Moderna vaccine that TCU is receiving can be stored and shipped at a warmer temperature than its Pfizer-BioNTech counterpart, easing potential logistical challenges.

More than 614,000 Americans have been vaccinated as of Tuesday morning, according to the New York Times.

The arrival of the vaccines come as the U.S. experiences a record-number of COVID-19 cases. The past week has seen an average of 216,163 new cases per day.

For comparison, the rise in cases over the summer was seeing around 65,000 new cases per day.

Daily deaths from the virus topped 3,000 for the first time last week.

TCU said that the arrival of the vaccines marks a new stage in the pandemic.

“We are excited to begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and for the opportunity to decrease our community’s risk of COVID-19,” the email said. “Although our first allotment is a small batch, and vaccination is optional, it marks the beginning of the next stage in this pandemic and is an important step in protecting the health of our community.”