Mitchell County Prepares for Vaccines With Freezer

The plan to distribute the covid-19 vaccine could be finalized before the planned date of mid-December.

Welfare rolls.

The plan to distribute the covid?

"*19 vaccine could be finalized before the planned date of mid?

"* december.

One north iowa hospital is preparing for when that moment happens.

Kimt news 3's alex jirgens takes us to osage ?

"* where the mitchell county regional health center has a new freezer to hold the vaccine.xxx when the covid 19 vaccine does become available and ready for distribution?

"* the mitchell county regional health center is prepared.

Thanks to this new ultra?

"*low freezer right here to help in the distribution efforts.

We've been waiting for months for a vaccine to be produced and distributed.

Now ?

"* as that becomes reality ?

"* the hospitl needed to be prepared.

"storage was a big concern.

Dry ice is what these vaccines can be stored on, but we wanted to remove some of those variables especially in rural iowa we don't have the resources that other people do."

This freezer can hold up to about 20 to 40 thousand doses of the vaccine.

It's received so much attention that the state has inquired about storing the state's supply.

"we're able to store that in the northern part, so it should help decrease some of the issues with transferring and shipping it around.

If we can some permanent storage up here, it'll just eliminate some of those issue with transporting."

Another benefit ?

"* if there's any major power outage ?

"* the freezer runs off of backup power ?

"* either through the hospital or through the city ?

"* to keep te vaccine chilled.

"we're gonna keep those lights on and we're going to keep those coolers froze and that product safe.

That's one of the huge benefits that we have in the the freezer cost about 6 thousand dollars ?

"* but the hospital was able to cover the cost