THREAD: Ashford hospital in Puerto Rico received a single box of 975 Pfizer COVID19 doses in what’s described to be, by a person with either knowledge of the situation, with special approval by the health department.
No other hospitals are getting vaccines today. Ashord, I’m told, was set to receive its own box shipment of vaccines on Wednesday, but instead, the health dept advanced them a box with the understanding they would give their box, delivered Wednesday, to the health dept.
Ashford planned to vaccinate someone today. That would’ve made them the first on the island to deliver a vaccine injection. They press was notified. Then Ashford said the Governors office called and asked them to wait until tomorrow.
People, understandably, asked if this was a shameless attempt by the Governor to stage a photo shoot. It’s was not, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation. The plan all along was to distribute the vaccines tomorrow & allow everything to begin vaccinations.
Tomorrow, the plan is, at 4am local time, the National guard along with the health dept will begin open the first delivery of boxes and sort them for delivery to 64 health sites on the island, including hospitals. Delivery is set to start at 6am local time.
At some point tomorrow, there’s supposed to be a press event where the first two COVID vaccine infections in Puerto Rico, will go to a doctor & nurse who treated the first two known COVID cases in Puerto Rico: the Italian husband & wife. She died. He survived.
In conclusion, it’s unclear, as of now, why Ashford was given a box of vaccines today instead of tomorrow when most other medical institutions are set to receive.
1 more thing: the government decided to wait a day to get there ducks in a row, so to speak, and then distribute. I asked one Puerto Rican official who’s involved into the process, why now start right away like so many states are doing? Official: if it was up to me we would have.
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