Nearly 2,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine went bad this week at the Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center in Boston, a spokesperson confirmed, at a time when vaccine doses coming to Massachusetts are down 73%.
Staff at the Veterans Affairs Boston Pharmacy on Tuesday discovered that a freezer on the Jamaica Plain campus broke down, ruining 1,900 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
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A freezer malfunction discovered Tuesday at the Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center in Boston ruined 1,900 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
A plug was loose after a contractor “ accidentally removed it while cleaning, ” the VA spokesman said. The freezer was in “a safe location” and an alarm system was installed.
An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident and why the monitoring and alarm system was not working. Doses are being replenished, the spokesperson said, and the VA “does not foresee any disruption to our vaccination efforts.”
But the number of doses sent to the Bay State is down 73% this week, according to the Department of Health, with only 52,225 doses entering the Commonwealth.
The state’s latest vaccine report shows that 86,230 doses were given this week, for a total of 359,919 doses. The report no longer splits the data into first and second dose.
Thursday’s report did mention the arrival of 157,300 Moderna doses on Jan. 12 that were not included in last week’s report.
The rate at which vaccines are delivered has fallen by 24% in the one-week period discussed in Thursday’s report, Jan. 13-19, compared to the week before.
The two coronavirus vaccines so far approved in the country’s fight against the pandemic, from Pfizer and Cambridge-based Moderna, both require people to be given two doses, which are recommended to be spaced over three or four weeks.
President Joe Biden outlined his plan to increase vaccinations in the US on Thursday and vowed that “help is on the way.”
Vaccines are the key to bringing society back to normal as they have been shown to provide the best protection against serious complications in people infected with the virus. The widespread distribution of the vaccines will trigger the final phase of Massachusetts’ reopening plan when restrictions are lifted.
The vaccinations started last month in Massachusetts. Check out Baker’s government plan to roll out the vaccine here.