Maine CDC: Thousands of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Spoiled In Transit
Maine health officials claimed Tuesday that they were unable to administer 4,400 doses of COVID-19 vaccine delivered to state clinics this week because the doses allegedly exceeded temperature requirements during the shipping process.
Those vaccines were set aside and will not be used, according to Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Shah said more than half of the Maine sites that accepted shipments of the Moderna vaccine, which is required to be kept at negative-4 degrees Fahrenheit, displayed a red checkmark indicating it had been too warm to comply with the safety threshold at one point during transit. The vaccine is transported in boxes designed to keep it at the desired temperature, Shah added.
The Maine CDC is now directing clinics to not administer the 4,400 doses to prospective vaccine recipients. However, Shah said replacement doses to make up for those that were forced to be set aside were expected to arrive mid-week.
Shah made clear that the issues encountered during the transit process were not the fault of Maine or Maine CDC, he said, adding that other states experienced similar issues. The Washington Post reported that Michigan also had logistical temperature issues and that, between the two states, more than 16,000 vaccine doses were spoiled.
Individuals 75 or older are now eligible to sign up for COVID-19 vaccination. Here is our detailed Seacoast coronavirus vaccine timeline.