Three shipments of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine were delayed after distribution after it was discovered that it did not maintain a stable temperature.
All three shipments arrived in Texas last week and were originally scheduled to be delivered before Christmas.
It was unclear how many total doses were affected, although the federal government replaced the shipments, Bloomberg News reported.
The Moderna vaccination requires up to 30 days in the temperature between minus 13 degrees and 5 degrees Fahrenheit or between 36 degrees and 46 degrees Fahrenheit before it must be discarded.
The Texas Department of Health Services reported that delays created the appearance that the state, according to Bloomberg, administered only a small portion of the vaccines.
‘Some of the shipments for week 2 have been delayed and have only been received by suppliers
Monday and Tuesday of this week, “spokesperson Lara Anton told Bloomberg.
Carrie Kroll, vice president of advocacy, quality and public health at the Texas Hospital Association, told Bloomberg that some hospitals in Texas have trouble detecting vaccines.
“It will look like there is vaccine on the shelf when it is administered,” Kroll said
said.
The U.S. also faced other obstacles by the first week of January to achieve its goal of vaccinating 40 million Americans. Earlier this month, 50 vials of the Wisconsin Moderna vaccine had to be discarded because a medical center employee did not put it back in the freezer after initially removing it to remove another item.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, nearly 11,445,000 vaccine doses were distributed in the U.S. as of Tuesday, and a total of 2,127,143 people received their initial shot.