300 doses of COVID vaccine lost in freezer malfunction, Colorado officials say
.jpg "A nurse prepares a shot of the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19, on the first day of coronavirus vaccinations in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)")
A broken freezer ruined 300 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which must be kept at extra-cold temperatures, Colorado health officials say.
State officials say the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment had to render the vaccines unusable after a portable storage unit malfunctioned, KKTV reported.
The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit to remain viable, The Washington Post reported.
“The state’s goal is to use every single available vaccine, acknowledging that emergencies may occur infrequently,” said the Colorado State Joint Information Center, KDVR reported. The state has administered about 253,000 vaccine doses since they became available.
More than 92 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide with more than 1.9 million deaths as of Jan. 14, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 23 million confirmed cases with more than 384,000 deaths.
This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 9:27 AM with the headline "300 doses of COVID vaccine lost in freezer malfunction, Colorado officials say."