Nearly 12K doses of Modern COVID-19 vaccine destroyed on road to Michigan, state officials say

LANSING, Mich. Michigan officials said 11,900 doses of the state-of-the-art COVID-19 vaccine were destroyed and unusable.

‘It frustrates me when I know we’m in a race and every vaccine is important, but it’s not something I can control. It’s not Michigan’s fault, “said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Twenty-one consignments of the Moderna vaccine were rendered unusable due to temperature problems with the distributor. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said the vaccine should be stored in a freezer between minus 13 degrees and 5 degrees Fahrenheit. The distributor, McKesson Corporation, told the state that the temperature is falling outside the range and getting too cold, affecting nearly 12 thousand doses.

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In a statement, dr. Joneigh Kaldhun, Michigan medical chief executive, said: “This is the first report of the vaccine that may be compromised during shipment in Michigan, and we are working quickly with the distributor to have replacement vaccines shipped.”

McKesson said he “identified the cause of the problem – some gel packs used to maintain the appropriate temperature during shipment were too cold” and took steps to prevent it from occurring in the future. “

Government officials said the majority of the 21 deliveries were offensive Monday night. However, six additional shipments were also withheld to make sure there were no problems with the vaccine. The state has warned that scheduled vaccinations at different supplier sites could be delayed.

“I’m sure people who had appointments, who were scheduled at facilities to get those specific shots, were frustrated because they could not get them,” Whitmer said.

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