More than 16,000 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were spoiled in Maine and Michigan this week due to temperature control issues, The Washington Post reported.
In Maine, trucks at 35 sites discovered Jan. 18 that hundreds of vials of the vaccines were spoiled and the state said Jan. 19 that it may have to throw out 4,400 doses.
"It’s always unfortunate when logistical issues of this nature crop up but it’s also good to remember that the system has these safeguards in place so that if they happen, we know about them immediately," Nirav Shah, MD, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control, told the Post.
Dr. Shah told NPR the temperature breach occurred during packaging or shipping.
Authorities in Michigan said nearly 12,000 doses of Moderna's vaccine were ruined Jan. 17 after the vaccines got too cold, the Post reported. The CDC, Moderna and McKesson are all investigating the case. A spokesperson for the state's health department told the Post that no one was given a shot of one of the spoiled doses.
Both states reported that they sent replacement doses to the sites expected to get the spoiled doses.
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