Monterey Bay Aquarium loans ultra-cold freezer to Mee Memorial
KING CITY, Calif. (KION) The Mee Memorial Healthcare System will soon be able to expand its COVID-19 vaccine capacity with help from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The aquarium is loaning an ultra-cold freezer to Mee Memorial to store vaccines. Currently, the healthcare system can only provide Moderna vaccines because it does not have the equipment to keep Pfizer vaccines at the required minus 94 degrees Farenheit, but the freezer will allow them to store Pfizer vaccines.
“While vaccines remain in short supply in Monterey County, this is great news,” said Rena Salamacha, CEO at Mee Memorial Healthcare System. “When the state and county release more Pfizer vaccines, this freezer will help to expand our ability to inoculate even more people in South County, keeping our communities safe and prioritized.”
The hope is that more vaccines will allow for more agricultural workers to get them.
“It’s so important to create more equity in vaccine distribution to our communities that have suffered disproportionately because of historic lack of access to health care," said Aquarium Public Affairs Director Barbara Meister. "This freezer loan will help to get more county residents vaccinated as quickly as possible. Agricultural workers especially have yet to receive the necessary volume of vaccination. With the strawberry harvest resuming in March, we’re doing all we can to help get vaccinations into farmworkers arms. That’s the key to getting our community healthy, and to reopening our economy.”
The freezers have been in high-demand, but the aquarium already had a backup to use for animal care. It had previously loaned one of the freezers to Natividad, but the health care center has since been able to get its own freezer.
