Wisconsin Health System and SSM Health to Serve as Distribution Hubs for Pfizer's Version of COVID-19 Vaccine

Tuesday, December 8th, 2020 -- 10:02 AM

(WMTV) -The University of Wisconsin Health System and SSM Health will serve as distribution hubs for Pfizer’s version of the COVID-19 vaccine, should the Food and Drug Administration approve it.

UW Health explained the Dept. of Health Services opted to utilize a hub-and-spoke system to distribute the vaccine because it needs to remain below -94 degrees Fahrenheit while in storage and selected the university hospital as one of the central locations. Vaccines will then be shipped to nearby health care systems and others when it’s time to deliver them.  “We are proud to play a role in helping our partners in the area get vaccine doses they need to protect their frontline workers as fast as possible so we can get on to the next group of people to be vaccinated,” UW Health senior medical director ambulatory operations Matt Anderson said.

Hospital officials are cautioning that, although they are still busy getting ready to receive a potential vaccine, widespread distribution could still be months away. They pointed to an estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention represents, it could be summer before the general public is able to get one.

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