Today, Texas Children’s received our first shipment of the FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine. We are so proud to be one of the first institutions in the nation to receive the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech and approved by the FDA for emergency use on Friday, December 11.
Today, our President & CEO, Mark A. Wallace, along with Dr. Peter Hotez, Director for Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development, joined thousands of our health care heroes in receiving their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Leadership influences and determines outcomes – not some of the time, but all of the time. It is our time to lead, and Mr. Wallace along with the entire leadership team would like to encourage and support all of our faculty and staff who are eligible to be vaccinated.
“At Texas Children’s, the safety and well-being of our employees and medical staff is paramount,” said Wallace. “What we know as a medical community is that vaccination is one of the safest and most effective means we have to fight against preventable diseases,” Wallace said.
Over the next several months, all Texas Children’s employees and Baylor College of Medicine faculty and staff supporting Texas Children’s are eligible to be vaccinated at no cost. For more information and to opt in please click here to visit our COVID-19 vaccine distribution website.
“I’m excited that we are in the midst of administering the COVID-19 vaccine to our workforce,” Wallace added. “Based on guidance from the National Academy of Sciences and state guidance on vaccine allocation, we’ve established a framework for equitable allocation that guides us in our distribution process.”
Texas Children’s has been leading the way in responding to the global pandemic since it emerged, particularly by adopting and advocating for practices that help stop the spread of COVID-19: hand washing, social distancing and properly wearing a mask. Those powerful preventative measures must continue even as COVID-19 vaccine doses begin to be administered.
“Our One Amazing Team has consistently overcome the impacts and challenges of COVID-19 to keep Texas Children’s sturdy and strong for those who need us. It is wonderful to see Texas Children’s is at the forefront of medical history – helping to pioneer the vaccine that many hope will turn the tide in the global fight against the pandemic,” stated Wallace.