Springfield (Vt.) Hospital may have spoiled 860 doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine by storing them at 48 degrees Fahrenheit, NBC News reported Jan. 28.
The CDC says Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine should be stored in a refrigerator between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit. An official from Vermont's health department said during a Jan. 27 news conference the vaccines were stored at about 48 degrees Fahrenheit.
The department said it is monitoring the situation and investigating if the doses are still viable. It also said it will not allow COVID-19 vaccine doses to be administered unless it is "100 percent certain" they are safe.
"They have not been discarded as yet," the state agency said in a statement. "At this time, we’re still seeking final guidance from the manufacturer on the potential loss of doses due to a temperature excursion."
Springfield Hospital canceled a Jan. 27 vaccination clinic, saying the decision was made "out of an abundance of caution when a discrepancy in the monitoring equipment used to record the temperature of the vaccine was discovered" in a statement.
Editor's note: This article was updated Jan. 29 at 1:48 p.m. CST to amend the temperature range Moderna's vaccine doses should be stored at.
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