Maine Receives 4,400 Doses of Moderna Vaccine that are Unusable

The Maine CDC says the state received 4,400 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that can't be administered to residents.

Dr. Nirav Shah said, in a media briefing on Tuesday, that the affected vaccine had been ruined enroute to Maine, when the temperature exceeded the requirements for the product. This particular vaccine needs to be kept very, very cold at all times, until it's administered to a patient. If the temperature varies from the appropriate window, the serum is not viable.

Upon receipt of the new shipment, someone at a Maine healthcare location noticed that a red 'X' appeared on the label. The boxes are equipped with an electronic detector device, that will show a green checkmark if the temperature has been appropriately maintained or a red 'X' if it was allowed to get too warm. That facility notified the CDC, who immediately called around to each distribution site in the state and found that the entire shipment had been compromised. According to Dr. Shah, none of the spoiled serum was administered to patients, and it is being immediately replaced by Operation Warp Speed.

People age 70 and older are currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. There are many distribution sites around the state, that are signing people up to get vaccinated. The Maine CDC has released a list of participating locations. Registration is required to get a vaccine. While there's no charge for the vaccine, itself, there could be a fee for the services rendered by the healthcare facility, so residents are asked to bring their registration confirmation and insurance card when they get vaccinated. Find more information on the Maine CDC's website.