More than 4,000 doses of COVID-19 shipped to Maine could potentially be spoiled due to temperature issues

Registered nurse Debbie Brenton is preparing a syringe with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the Northern Light Homecare and Hospice vaccine clinic on 13 January. The clinic mostly vaccinated school nurses and other independent medical providers. Brianna Soukup / Staff Photographer

More than 4,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine delivered at Maine clinics this week were set aside and not given to patients because the boxes became too hot during shipment, officials said Tuesday.

Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said 35 out of 50 sites that accepted deliveries of Moderna vaccines on Monday received boxes displaying a red check mark, a sensor indicating that internal temperatures exceeded safety threshold at some point. while he is in transport. The Moderna vaccine is shipped in containers at minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

As a result, Maine CDC has instructed clinics not to administer the 4400 doses to individuals. Additional doses to replace those set aside are expected to arrive on Tuesday and Wednesday, Shah said.

He said the problem apparently occurred during packaging or shipping, and “is not something to the Maine CDC or the state of Maine.” Shipments to other countries were also found to have exceeded the temperature threshold needed to ensure the vaccines remained viable, Shah said.

The U.S. government’s operation Warp Speed ​​sent replacement doses to those sites on Tuesday and Wednesday and the vaccinations that may be at risk will be evaluated by Modern or federal investigators to see if they are still safe to use. Shah said the news, while “sorry”, highlighted the guarantees put in place.

“This news is worrying, but it’s important to note that this is how the system works,” Shah said during Tuesday’s briefing. ‘There are numerous investigations to ensure that it is safe and effective as well as viable when a vaccine arrives. And if the conditions of transportation, handling and carrying are not optimal – from the factory to someone’s arm here in Maine – there are processes in place so that we know it and that the vaccine is not given to anyone. ”

While in this case it was the temperature of the vaccine during transport, the Moderna vaccine must first be stored in a freezer of minus 4 degrees, or it can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 30 days.

This is the latest development regarding the rocky rollout of federal government COVID-19 vaccine doses nationwide. Maine and other states have received fewer doses than expected, and states are still struggling to plan their mass vaccination efforts amid confusing statements from Trump administration officials about the pace of vaccine delivery.

Shah said the vaccines next week to Maine from the federal government are expected to contain only slightly more doses than the 18,550 received this week.

“The biggest constraint on the system right now is still the provision of vaccine,” Shah said.

Maine reported 386 new cases of COVID-19 and five additional deaths on Tuesday as health care providers begin immunizing this week for seniors 70 years and older.

After a late fall and winter increase in cases in Maine, Tuesday was the fourth day in a row of relatively small print counts, with fewer than 500 new cases each day. However, it is possible that Maine is still experiencing a delay in reporting cases from the holiday weekend, and Monday was Martin Luther King Jr.’s. Day. The seven-day average of daily new cases has been more than 500 since early January. Last week, Maine recorded three consecutive days with 800 or more daily new cases.

The seven-day average daily new cases were 562.3 on Tuesday, compared to 624 on 15 January. A week ago, the seven days averaged 537.3, and a month ago and 445.4 a month ago.

Overall, Maine reported 34,262 cases of COVID-19 and 519 deaths. The COVID-19 positivity rate for molecular tests was at 4.6 percent on Tuesday, a drop of about a percentage point compared to a week ago, Shah said. One trend has gone in a positive direction.

The state is starting to vaccinate its 70-year-old population this week, with a website listing all the available health care providers in the state that offer the vaccinations. Clinics are set up and appointments with some of the healthcare providers, including MaineHealth. MaineHealth, the parent company of Maine Medical Center in Portland with a healthcare system that covers many parts of the state, has introduced a call center number for appointments. Call 877-780-7545 to make an appointment.

Shah said he understands that it can be very difficult to make appointments while the supply of vaccines is scarce and the demand is high, but he expects it to improve in the coming weeks as the stock improves. Biden’s incoming administration has made vaccine distribution one of its priorities.

“I ask everyone to carry with us just a little longer,” Shah said.

Last week, Gov. Janet Mills announced that the state would move the 70 and older and younger adults at high risk health conditions higher on the priority list to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.

Maine is simultaneously conducting Phase 1A and Phase 1B of the vaccination program, with Phase 1A involving health care workers, paramedics, staff and residents of nursing homes and police officers. Phase 1B includes the 70 and older younger adults with high-risk health conditions and essential workers, such as teachers, grocery stores, and postal workers. Within 1B, some groups are likely to have higher priority than others, and the state currently prioritizes seniors, as they are the most vulnerable to dying of COVID-19. The 70 and older make up 85 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in Maine. Later in Phase 1B, the state will begin vaccinating ages 65-69.

Maine administered 81,355 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, including 68,914 first doses and 12,411 second doses.

Currently, 191 people are hospitalized in Maine with COVID-19, including 68 in intensive care.

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