A total of 2,500 doses expired or were lost in Shelby County over a 20-day period from February 3 to 23, according to a schedule of findings released by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) as part of an investigation.
In addition, two children were “inadequately vaccinated” for Covid-19 at a Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) vaccination site on February 3, with no reports made to state or federal partners, according to the schedule. TDH.
On the same day, a volunteer was suspected of stealing multiple doses of the vaccine at a different vaccination site without a report being made, according to the TDH schedule.
TDH also found that the county had 51,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in its inventory, which is equivalent to an excess of about 30,000 doses, according to an agency statement.
The statement also said that Shelby County lacked “standard operating procedures for storage and handling of the vaccine”, had insufficient records and “no formal process for managing doses of vaccine that would expire soon”.
TDH spokesman Shelley Walker told CNN in an email on Friday that there was no additional information about the incident in which the children were vaccinated and that the department’s investigation is ongoing.
On Friday, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris announced that Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter had resigned. During a special meeting of the Shelby County Commission, Harris said that March 15 would be Haushalter’s last day in the office.
CNN contacted Haushalter, the health department, the mayor’s office and other county officials for comment.
Shelby County is Tennessee’s most populous county and home to Memphis, the second most populous city in the state.
FBI notified
According to the TDH schedule, Haushalter reported on February 19 that more than 1,000 doses of the vaccine were discarded due to expiration. The state then sent health personnel to review the handling procedures and evaluate the SCHD vaccine inventory, the statement said.
On February 22, the state became aware of 840 additional expired doses not disclosed by SCHD, according to the schedule of the state health department. On Wednesday, the state transferred authority for vaccine management from Shelby County to Memphis.
The state health department’s schedule lists nine separate days when vaccine doses have expired or been missed.
State health personnel are now incorporated into the SCHB for technical assistance and to monitor the functioning of the pharmacy, and the state has requested additional help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the TDH statement.
During a press conference on Friday afternoon, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said that SCHD’s actions are disappointing.
“My reaction is real disappointment, especially disappointment for the people of Shelby County,” Lee told reporters. “How can we be sure that people living in this county do not miss any opportunity to receive this life-saving vaccine?”
SCHD is not managing any storage or distribution of vaccines, according to Lee.
“This shows the great concern we have in this regard, that these vaccines have been transferred, moved to another location,” said Lee, adding that “distribution is being done through separate channels due to the great concern we have. “
“The distribution and administration of the vaccine will continue as scheduled and Shelby County will continue to receive the full allocation of Covid-19 vaccines based on population,” says the website.
Lee said the state had notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the matter and the FBI “will make decisions about who will be responsible for this investigation.”
“I certainly think what happened at the Shelby County Health Department is very worrying. And there are many questions that need to be asked. At the very least, I can say that there has been a real lack of leadership, “said Lee.