Approximately 6,000 doses of the Orange County COVID-19 vaccine, which may not be at the recommended temperature because of a refrigeration problem, are still safe to use, and the problem did not stop vaccinations at county sites on Wednesday, February 10, officials said.
County officials said the problem occurred Tuesday night at the Soka University vaccination site, and they suspended administering these doses on Wednesday “out of great caution” while consulting the manufacturer.
“After reviewing the details, the manufacturer reported that the temperature variation did not impair the safety or efficacy of the vaccine and provided confirmation that the vaccine is safe to dispense under the normal protocol,” said the county in a late afternoon statement. Wednesday.
Fifth District Organizing Committee supervisor, Lisa Bartlett, said the Pfizer vaccine used at Soka should be kept at low temperatures. She said it was found that, although the vaccines were refrigerated, the temperature was outside the recommended range.
Pharmacists who arrived at work at 4:30 am on Wednesday to begin the vaccine preparation process noted that the refrigerator was defective and was not operating within the specific required temperature range, Orange County CEO Frank Kim said to the City News Service.
Additional vaccine supplies were brought in so that those with appointments scheduled for Wednesday could still get their vaccines, said county spokeswoman Molly Nichelson, adding that “there has been no interruption in our vaccination efforts.”
The county health officer, Dr. Clayton Chau, said that the county receives about 37,000 doses of vaccines per week and that the authorities intended to deliver up to 4,000 vaccines per day at Soka University.
Third District Supervisor Don Wagner and Bartlett said the doses at Soka were in a restricted area and the problem did not appear to be due to tampering or impropriety. Wagner added that the OC’s Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident.