Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System gave nearly 1,300 veterans and 240 VA employees flu shots that may not be fully effective due to a refrigeration error, according to a report from The San Diego Union-Tribune.
VA hospital employees on Oct. 13 discovered a pharmacy refrigerator did not keep stored doses of the flu vaccine within the recommended temperature range. Affected vaccines do not pose a threat to patient safety, but may have less potency and therefore offer less immunity.
"I am very unhappy this happened here," Robert Smith, MD, director of the San Diego VA hospital, told ABC10 News. "That's something I'm going to be looking into and how it can be prevented in the future."
The VA is notifying veterans who received a flu shot at the hospital between Oct. 9 and Oct. 13 of the issue and encouraging them to return to the hospital for a new vaccination, according to ABC10 News.
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