(Corrects for BioNtech spokeswoman, not Pfizer, paragraphs 4-5)
FRANKFURT, Dec. 27 (Reuters) – Germany’s coronavirus vaccination campaign faced delays in several cities on Sunday after temperature trackers showed that about 1,000 of BioNTech and Pfizer’s shots may not have been kept cold enough during transit.
“Reading the temperature loggers enclosed in the coolers raised doubts about compliance with the cold chain requirements,” the Lichtenfels district in the north of Germany’s largest state, Bavaria, said in a statement.
Medical personnel found that the temperature in a cooler for transporting vaccines had risen to 15 degrees Celsius, a Lichtenfels spokesperson said, above the 8 degrees maximum prescribed by the manufacturers. He added that his district had not yet received any advice from BioNtech on how to proceed.
BioNtech said in a statement that it was responsible for shipping to the 25 German distribution centers and that federal states and local authorities were responsible for shipping to the vaccination centers and the mobile vaccination teams.
“The temperature fluctuations have occurred here. We are in contact with many authorities to give advice, but it is up to them how to proceed, ”said a BioNTech spokeswoman.
In a presentation in December, BioNtech had said that once removed from the freezer, the vaccine can be stored at 2-8C for up to five days and at temperatures up to 30C for up to two hours, prior to use.
The vaccine, which uses new so-called mRNA technology, must be stored at ultra-low temperatures of about -70 degrees Celsius (-112 ° F) before being shipped to distribution centers in specially designed coolers filled with dry ice.
Once out of ultra-low temperature storage, the vaccine should be stored at 2 ° C to 8 ° C to remain effective for up to five days. The cool boxes designed by Pfizer are equipped with GPS trackers so that the companies can solve potential storage problems on the road.
The Lichtenfels spokesman said 1,000 shots had been hit by the temperature problem and that the city and the districts of Coburg, Kronach, Kulmbach, Hof, Bayreuth and Wunsiedel in Northern Bavaria were waiting to hear from BioNTech if the vaccine could still be used. .
“Vaccination against the coronavirus is not about who vaccinates the fastest or who administers the most doses. Safety and conscientious work in the interests of the population have the highest priority ”, says Oliver Baer, district manager in Hof.
The European Union launched a massive COVID-19 round of vaccination on Sunday with retirees and medics lining up to capture the first photos of a pandemic that has paralyzed economies and claimed more than 1.7 million lives worldwide.
The delays in Germany underscore the challenge in rolling out the vaccine, while regulators are reviewing other shots for approval, including those from Moderna and AstraZeneca, which are easier to transport and store.
The rollout of the Pfizer vaccine in the United States has been slow, calling into question the government’s target of 20 million vaccinations this month, as hospitals have navigated to prepare the previously frozen shots for use, finding staff to to run clinics and to maintain a good social distance.
In Germany, similar temperature problems also delayed the start of the vaccination campaign in the southern Bavarian districts of Augsburg and Dillingen, where staff eventually got permission from BioNTech to use the injections.
The vaccination campaign in Germany officially started on Sunday when residents of old people’s homes were vaccinated. The federal government plans to distribute more than 1.3 million doses to local health authorities by the end of this year and approximately 700,000 doses per week as of January. (Additional reporting by Josephine Mason; edited by David Clarke and Nick Macfie)