Winter storms that paralyze the United States have left millions without power and sent health officials struggling to protect freezers filled with COVID-19 vaccines, which need to be kept in extremely low temperatures or are at risk of spoiling.
The ongoing blackouts in Texas eliminated at least one set of freezers with the Modern vaccine; 5,000 doses were sent to a university, a prison and a handful of hospitals before they expired. The Oregon Health Authority is transferring vaccines to energy locations, although the agency does not disclose which storage locations have their systems inactive. As part of preparations for the storm, Kentucky ensured that sites with COVID-19 vaccines had contingency plans.
“For each provider, they have a generator on site that is ready to work, or they have a partner who … can pack it right away and supply it,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear during a news conference. last week. “This should ensure that no dose or bottle is wasted.”
Power outages are a challenge for hospitals and healthcare facilities at the best of times. The health system depends on a constant supply of energy to keep people healthy. The facilities need electricity for lighting, electronic health records, fans and refrigerators filled with medicines. Many people with illnesses depend on the energy in their homes for things like oxygen tanks. During outages, they are also unable to heat or cool their homes to combat extreme temperatures, which can be dangerous.
Hospitals must have backup generators, but outpatient clinics and community clinics do not face the same regulations. And generators sometimes fail – freezers dropped in Texas should be powered by a backup that didn’t work.
“We are so used to having an uninterrupted power supply,” said Grete Porteous, an anesthesiologist and emergency medicine specialist at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. The Verge in 2019. “It’s really incredible to understand that all of this is very fragile.”
A public health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic amplifies the risks of power outages. Hospitals, public health departments and other health facilities are already at the limit. Many doctors are not used to treating patients with limited energy and may have to deal with it quickly when they are already in need of resources. Shelters for people without power, such as heating centers in Texas, can spread COVID-19, although they are essential to prevent people from freezing.
And any facility that stores COVID-19 vaccines should pay attention to freezers, keeping them safe, as well as managing the energy in your health records or your oxygen supply. Doses are still limited and any bottle lost because it heated up too quickly means that fewer people can be protected against COVID-19.
The risks of a power outage for healthcare are always high. But when the system is already unstable and deranged by an emergency, a second stressor increases the pressure to keep the lights on and the freezers working.