Freezer Failures Force Seattle Hospitals To Rush Out Vaccines

[Wicked Blue]

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle hospitals rushed out COVID-19 vaccines to hundreds of people in the middle of the night after a freezer they were being stored in failed.

It’s not clear what caused the freezer failure Thursday night, but the UW Medical Center’s Northwest and Montlake campuses and Swedish Medical Center received more than 1,300 doses that needed to be used before they expired at 5:30 a.m. Friday, The Seattle Times reported.

Word of the unexpected doses spread on social media, and a line of hopeful vaccine recipients snaked out the clinic door and through a parking lot at UW Medical Center-Northwest. A hundred people lined up at Swedish Medical Center’s clinic at Seattle University. The hospital tweeted at 11:59 p.m. that it had 588 doses to give out, and by 12:30 a.m., all the appointment slots had been taken.

At the UW Medical Center-Northwest, assistant administrator Jenny Brackett walked along the crowd calling out and asking if anyone was over 65. Many of those who showed up were too young and healthy to qualify under Washington state’s current prioritization categories for vaccine distribution. Brackett said the hospital was doing its best to vaccinate those eligible, but that the main objective was to get it into arms and avoid waste.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/seattle-hospitals-freezers-covid-19-vaccines_n_60148a84c5b6aa4bad340be5

[jimfields33]

1. I would not get a shot from that batch

I’d wait. Even a few degrees could affect the protection. At least, I would think so.

[Ms. Toad]

2. Once thawed, the vaccines have an expiration date/time

The expiration for these doses was 5:30 AM.

This is no different from taking them out of the freezer in preparation for the day's vaccinations. Once out of the freezer, the clock is ticking.

[LisaL]

3. They have to be defrosted to inject into people anyway.

So if the freezer just broke they should be totally fine.

[jimfields33]

4. Oh. Lol. What do I know?