By Wendy Osher
An estimated 1,386 doses of Pfizer vaccine were compromised and eventually dumped on Maui after it was discovered that a refrigerator door had not been properly sealed.
The incident took place on Monday, and the refrigerator is currently being repaired; but future doses will be stored in an alternative location, according to Maui Health.
“Our team immediately contacted Pfizer and it was determined that the vials should be removed from the clinic and disposed of properly,” said Tracy Dallarda, a spokeswoman for Maui Health / Maui Memorial Medical Center, noting that the Department of Health and The Hawaii Health Care Association was also notified.
“We appreciate Maui Health for taking immediate corrective action and transparency in what has happened. We recognize that each vaccine has different storage requirements, and setting up large-scale vaccination operations from scratch is a challenge for any healthcare provider. We know that the Maui Health team is dedicated to protecting the people of Maui and working to vaccinate their community as soon as possible, ”said Hilton Raethel, President and CEO, HAH.
The state Department of Health confirmed that the Maui incident was announced today. The loss of vaccine is the highest recorded so far in the state, although a total of 2,400 doses have been lost since the beginning of the vaccine administration. The remaining 1,014 doses were lost in separate incidents around the state in mid-December, according to the DOH.
The vast majority, or 881, of those 1,014 doses were lost when a vial or syringe broke. No other doses were given after a bottle was opened or the vaccine was drawn into a syringe, but it was not given, “said DOH spokesman Brooks Baehr.
The more than 1,000 doses lost in incidents in the state represent less than .2% of the doses administered in Hawai’i. In other words, less than two doses per 1,000 vaccines were lost before this unfortunate incident in Maui, Baehr said.
Maui Health mainly administers the Pfizer vaccine, which must be kept at a very low temperature. As the hospital site was launched, an ultra-low freezer was donated by the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College for safe storage at appropriate temperatures. According to Maui Health, the vaccine is safely stored in the ultra-low freezer until it is transferred to a refrigerator where it is thawed and prepared for weekly clinic appointments.
Meanwhile, Maui Health claims that there is a sufficient amount of vaccine to continue its vaccination efforts and that all current and future schedules will remain on schedule.
“We want to assure the community that there is no interruption in our vaccination efforts, and in fact we are working to expand those efforts, which include increasing clinic hours and hosting pop-up windows across the island,” said Mike Rembis, CEO. Maui Health.
According to Maui Health, COVID-19 vaccination clinics continue this week, with thousands of appointments scheduled at the main lobby clinic at Maui Memorial Medical Center and their Kīhei clinic.
To date, Maui Health has administered more than 25,000 vaccines to Maui residents and will be in Lânaʻi on Saturday to further support their vaccination efforts. Maui Health will also announce a new expanded site soon, which will allow for further increases in vaccination efforts, Dallarda said.
On Maui, DOH reports that 22.9 percent (36,047) of the population received a first dose of vaccine; 10.4 percent (15,718) performed two doses; and another 1,522 doses (Johnson & Johnson vaccine) were initiated and completed. In total, Maui County administered 53,287 doses in a total population base of 167,417.