FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Germany’s coronavirus vaccination campaign faced delays in several cities on Sunday after temperature scanners showed that about 1,000 of the injections made by BioNTech and Pfizer may not have been kept cold enough during the Traffic.
“When reading the temperature recorders placed in the thermal boxes, doubts arose about the fulfillment of the cold chain requirements,” said the Lichtenfels district, in the north of Germany’s largest state, Bavaria, in a statement.
The medical team found that the temperature in a vaccine-carrying cooler has risen to 15 degrees Celsius, said a Lichtenfels spokesman, above the maximum 8 degrees Celsius stipulated by manufacturers. He added that his district had not yet received advice from BioNtech on how to proceed.
The regional government of the Upper Franconian region of Bavaria, where several affected districts are based, said that BioNTech released the vaccines on Sunday night.
“BioNTech confirmed the quality of the vaccines,” said a spokeswoman for Upper Franconia. “The vaccination program can begin (in our region).”
BioNtech had previously said in a statement that it was responsible for shipping to the 25 German distribution centers and that federal states and local authorities were responsible for shipping to vaccination centers and mobile vaccination teams.
“This is where temperature changes occur. We are in contact with several authorities to advise, but it is up to them how to proceed, ”said a spokeswoman for BioNTech.
In a presentation in December, BioNtech said that once removed from the freezer, the vaccine can be stored for up to five days at 2-8C and up to two hours at temperatures up to 30C, before use.
The vaccine, which uses the new mRNA technology, must be stored at ultra-low temperatures of around -70 degrees Celsius (-112 ° F) before being sent to distribution centers in specially designed coolers filled with dry ice.
Once out of storage at ultra low temperature, the vaccine must be kept between 2C and 8C to remain effective for up to five days. The thermal boxes designed by Pfizer are equipped with GPS trackers so that companies can deal with possible storage problems along the way.
The Lichtenfels spokesman said 1,000 shots were affected by the temperature issue and that the city and districts of Coburg, Kronach, Kulmbach, Hof, Bayreuth and Wunsiedel, in northern Bavaria, were waiting for a response from BioNTech about whether the vaccine could still be used.
“Coronavirus vaccination is not the one who vaccines the fastest or takes the most doses. Safety and conscientious work for the benefit of the population are of the highest priority, ”said Oliver Baer, district administrator in Hof.
The European Union launched a mass vaccination campaign COVID-19 on Sunday with retirees and doctors lining up to get the first vaccines to end a pandemic that has affected economies and claimed more than 1.7 million lives worldwide.
The delays in Germany highlight the challenge of launching the vaccine while regulators review other vaccines for approval, including those made by Moderna and AstraZeneca, which are easier to transport and store.
The launch of the Pfizer vaccine in the United States has been slow, calling into question the government’s goal of 20 million vaccinations this month, as hospitals sailed preparing previously frozen vaccines for use, finding staff to run the clinics and ensuring distancing. appropriate social
In Germany, similar temperature problems also delayed the start of the vaccination campaign in the districts of Augsburg and Dillingen, in southern Bavaria, where the team finally obtained authorization from BioNTech to use the vaccines.
Germany’s vaccination campaign officially began on Sunday, with residents of nursing homes being vaccinated. The federal government is planning to distribute more than 1.3 million doses to local health officials by the end of this year and about 700,000 a week starting in January.
Additional reporting by Josephine Mason; Editing by David Clarke, Nick Macfie and Daniel Wallis