WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – More than a thousand doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were tainted in Palm Beach County last week after the Health Care District said a refrigerator was inadvertently turned off.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: Coronavirus
Spokeswoman Robin Kish said Friday that on Jan. 22, staff members identified 232 refrigerated bottles of Pfizer-BioNTech outside the required temperature control range.
Those vials contain 1,160 doses of the COVID vaccine.
Kish said the Health Care District contacted the vaccine manufacturer, who confirmed the doses were not usable, so all vials were destroyed.
Officials said the incident was triggered when power to the refrigerator in which the vaccine was stored was “ accidentally turned off, ” causing the temperature to rise.
“The Health Care District immediately implemented additional layers of quality control measures in vaccine cold chain management to maintain the integrity of all vaccine supplies going forward. / 7 power generator backup, ”Kish said in a written statement.
Health officials call it an “isolated incident caused by human error,” but it did not affect patient safety.
“The Health Care District can ensure that all COVID-19 vaccinations provided to patients are always safely administered in accordance with the highest standards of care. The public must have the utmost confidence in the integrity of our vaccination system,” said Kish.
Since their vaccination efforts began on Dec. 23, the Health Care District said their healthcare system has delivered nearly 25,000 COVID-19 vaccines in Palm Beach County.