Pharmacist Chuck Kray got the call this week that he had been waiting for. The COVID-19 vaccination was finally heading to his specialized refrigerators inside the doors of HersheyCare. Yet, he admits ensuring that those doses would be delivered was a "logistical nightmare."
"The hardest part of the whole thing was we knew it was coming, we didn't know when. And, now all of a sudden it's here and we have to kind of run and get it done," said Kray, who said HersheyCare received around 900 doses of the shot. Kray said 300 more doses arrived at their retail location Thursday that will be used to vaccinate local physicians. Those doses are only expected to last a few days as they work around the clock to administer the shots to high risk individuals, staff, and doctors.
At this time Kray is still unsure when more doses will come.
"We're dealing with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. They've been wonderful. They're just overwhelmed. They are overwhelmed. And, they are not getting great communication from the federal program," said Kray.
The COVID-19 vaccine remains in high demand across the state with the federal government falling short of its goal of 20 million vaccinations by the end of December 2020. The CDC reports at this time, 5,919,418 vaccinations have been administered despite 21,419,800 doses being released nationwide. Pennsylvania Health leaders have blamed the holidays, changing delivery dates, and fluctuating dosage counts from the federal government as problems that have slowed the administration of the shots. But Dr. Rachel Levine has expressed hope that the year 2021 will kick the vaccination rollout into high gear.
"We got an email bright and early around 7 o'clock, 8 o'clock in the morning that we were getting the vaccine," said Kray who said the doses arrived hours after the call.
Kray and his team put the doses immediately into refrigerators, packing others into the freezer.
One day later, FOX43 joined Kray as he delivered those vaccines and held a vaccination clinic at The Middletown Home in Lower Paxton Township.
"We're going to work all weekend Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Whatever it takes to get all these in somebody's arms and hopefully we'll get some more," said Kray.
Kray said most of his employees also received the shot as they are the ones who are administering the vaccines to high-risk communities.