Kansas to replace about 600 COVID-19 vaccine doses that were mishandled in Lawrence
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is replacing nearly 600 doses of COVID-19 vaccine that had been mishandled and spoiled at a Lawrence hospital, according to the public health director overseeing Lawrence and Douglas County.
The wasted doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which were accidentally re-frozen by the LMH Health hospital in Lawrence, should be replaced next week, Douglas-Lawrence County Public Health director Dan Partridge said in a statement Friday afternoon.
Partridge added that anyone who received that vaccine within the past week should contact the vaccine administrators if they have any concerns.
“We are grateful for KDHE’s understanding and assistance in this matter as well as all the work of our Unified Command partners, LMH Health, Douglas County and the City of Lawrence, among others, as we continue to vaccinate as many eligible people in Douglas County as efficiently and quickly as we can,” Partridge said in the statement.
The 570 wasted doses were ruined after hospital staff accidentally re-froze them, according to a Friday news release. City and county health officials transferred the doses on Wednesday, and the hospital then placed them in the freezer not realizing that they had been thawed.
The confusion arose because most doses are shipped frozen, but the health department received its Wednesday batch in a refrigerated state.
The hospital reached out to Johnson & Johnson for guidance and was instructed that the doses would have to be discarded.
LMH Health President & CEO Russ Johnson described what happened as a “heart wrenching situation for our hospital.” He said the hospital is reviewing processes aimed at preventing vaccine waste to prevent future errors.
Health officials also have requested replacement doses and are working to reschedule appointments.
This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 3:20 PM.
