Nearly 2,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine pampered this week at Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center in Boston, a spokesman confirmed, at a time when vaccine doses coming to Massachusetts have dropped by 73%.
Boston Veterans Pharmacy staff learned Tuesday that a freezer on the Jamaica Plain campus had failed, destroying 1,900 doses of COVID-19 Modern vaccine.
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A freezer malfunction discovered Tuesday at Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center in Boston destroyed 1,900 doses of COVID-19 Modern vaccine.
An outlet was weakened after an entrepreneur “accidentally removed it during cleaning,” according to a VA spokesman. The freezer was in a “safe location” and had an alarm system installed.
An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident and why the monitoring and alarm system did not work. Complementary doses are in the process, the spokesman said, and the AV “does not provide for the cessation of our vaccination effort.”
The number of doses shipped to Bay State fell 73 percent this week, according to the Department of Public Health, with only 52,225 doses entering the community.
The latest vaccine report from the state shows that 86,230 doses were administered this week, for a total of 359,919 doses in total. The report no longer details the data by the first and second dose.
Thursday’s report mentioned the arrival of 157,300 Modern doses on January 12, which were not included in last week’s report.
The rate of vaccine administration fell by 24% during the one week covered by the report on Thursday, January 13-19, compared to the previous week.
The two coronavirus vaccines approved so far in the country’s fight against the pandemic, from Pfizer and Moderna, based in Cambridge, both require people to receive two doses, which are recommended to distance them in three or four weeks.
President Joe Biden presented his plan to step up vaccinations in the United States on Thursday, swearing that “aid is on the way.”
Vaccines are the key to bringing society back to normal, as they have been found to provide the greatest protection against serious complications in people infected with the virus. Widespread distribution of vaccines will trigger the final phase of the Massachusetts reopening plan, when restrictions are lifted.
Vaccinations began last month in Massachusetts. Check out the Baker administration’s plan to launch the vaccine here.