Hendrick Medical Center Brownwood issued the following press release Thursday afternoon:

On Monday, Hendrick Health announced that Hendrick Medical Center’s main campus in Abilene was expecting to receive the Pfizer vaccine this week, and would begin to vaccinate healthcare workers in Abilene soon thereafter. Hendrick Medical Center in Brownwood is expected to receive 600 doses of the Moderna vaccine as early as next week.

Vaccination is not mandatory for employees, but is strongly encouraged. As outlined by the State, our employees and our credentialed providers who are at the highest risk of coming into contact with COVID-19 patients, are among the first tier to be vaccinated.

While the Moderna vaccine requires cold storage, it does not require the minus-70 degrees Celsius that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine requires. This vaccine will be given in two doses, with the second dose administered 28 days later to grant an estimated 95% immunity.

We continue to encourage the community to protect each other by wearing masks, social distancing, handwashing and other measures to be safe.​