[ad_1]
Nearly 2,000 Moderna vaccine doses spoiled after accidentally unplugging the freezer at a VA facility in Boston as the number of drugs arriving in Massachusetts drops by more than 70% this week
- Boston Veterans Pharmacy staff discovered on Tuesday that a freezer on the Jamaica Plain campus had failed
- Failure ruined 1,900 doses of vaccine
- Freezer cap was loose after contractor ‘accidentally removed it while cleaning’
- While the freezer was in a “ safe place ” and had an alarm system in place, an investigation will examine why the monitoring system did not work
- Once removed from refrigeration, vaccines remain viable at room temperature for up to 12 hours
- The facility spokesperson said replenishment doses were in the works
Nearly 2,000 doses of Moderna vaccines have gone bad at Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center in Boston, as the number of doses of vaccine arriving in Massachusetts has declined by more than 70%.
Boston Veterans Pharmacy staff discovered on Tuesday that a freezer on the Jamaica Plain campus was out of order, a spokesperson for NBC Boston confirmed. The failure ruined 1,900 doses of the vaccine.
According to the spokesperson, a plug for the freezer was loose after a contractor accidentally removed it while cleaning.
While the freezer was in a “safe place” and had an alarm system in place, an investigation will examine why the monitoring system did not work.
Boston Veterans Pharmacy staff discovered on Tuesday that a freezer on the Jamaica Plain campus had failed
Moderna vaccine should be shipped and stored at -4 degrees Fahrenheit for up to six months.
It can be stored at regular refrigerated temperatures – between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit – for 30 days.
Once removed from the refrigeration, the vaccines remain viable at room temperature for up to 12 hours.
Failure ruined 1,900 doses of vaccine
Moderna vaccine should be shipped and stored at -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to six months. It can be stored at regular refrigerated temperatures – between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit – for 30 days. Once removed from the refrigeration, vaccines remain viable at room temperature for up to 12 hours.
The facility spokesperson said reconstitution doses were in the works, saying the VA “did not foresee any disruption to our vaccination effort.”
But this week, the number of doses sent to Massachusetts fell 73% this week, according to the Department of Public Health. They received only 52,225 doses of the vaccine.
The latest AD vaccine report shows 86,230 doses were administered this week, bringing the total doses administered in the state to 359,919.
President Joe Biden announced actions on Thursday to dramatically increase vaccine production and distribution – to advance his goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans in his first 100 days in office.
The actions and orders are the start of an effort to revamp the administration’s policy to expel the vaccine, with 400,000 Americans having already succumbed to COVID-19 and new mutations already spreading across the country.
The plan will see 100 federal vaccination centers in large venues such as convention centers and stadiums, and states reimbursed for setting up theirs.
Some major cities are already setting up the centers, including Miami, New York, and Los Angeles, but 100 federal sites will be spreading the idea across the country.
And manufacturers will be ordered under the Defense Production Act to produce vaccine supplies, from ingredients to needles, in times of shortage, as well as to produce protective gear such as N95 masks.
Biden is also dependent on Congress to provide $ 1.9 trillion for economic aid and the COVID-19 response.
There is a litany of complaints from states saying they are not getting enough vaccines when asked to vaccinate a wider range of Americans.
More than 35.9 million doses have been manufactured but roughly half – 16.5 million – have been distributed, according to a CDC tracker.
[ad_2]
Source link