Vaccines returned to Pfizer after transit ‘anomaly’ left them too cold

WHAT’S BEING CLAIMED:

• The storage temperature of Pfizer vaccines was too cold during transportation, leaving the doses for California and Alabama in quarantine.
• Two trays of vaccines that were delivered in California got returned to Pfizer when the temperature dropped to -92C during transit. The same “anomaly” happened in Alabama.
• The Pfizer vaccine requires a storage temperature of -70C.

Across the US, citizens started getting some of the first Pfizer vaccines since Monday when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the vaccine for use on Friday. Medical experts and several officials already acknowledged that it would be a logistical challenge to get it distributed when it requires frigid storage temperatures.

The Pfizer vaccine requires a storage temperature of -70C, but during a recent shipment of doses to California and Alabama, it somehow got kept even colder.

After the “anomaly” during transport of several thousand quantities got noticed, US officials quarantined all of the trays of vaccines. According to the Center for Disease and Control (CDC), doses of the vaccine get stored on trays where each tray can carry a minimum capacity of 975 vaccine vials. 

Gustave Perna is an Army General who oversees the logistics for the Operation Warp Speed for President Donald Trump. During a Wednesday news briefing, he mentioned that the vaccines “never left the truck.”

Additionally, he said, “We returned them immediately back to Pfizer, and we sent immediate shipments to replace those two trays. We’re working with the FDA now, CDC, FDA and Pfizer to determine if that anomaly is safe or not, but we’re taking no chances, and we can see that.”

He said that the same strange incident  occurred in Alabama. Army General Perna stated, “All the way on the other side of the country in Alabama, two trays were received at one location. Same anomaly, went to minus 92. We were able to stop and quarantine the vaccine, stop and get a replacement shipment to Alabama.”

It remains unclear what might have caused the difference in storage temperature as a Pfizer spokesperson stated, “The returned shipments – totalling ~3000 doses – will be reviewed internally by Pfizer following our quality investigative process.

However, it’s Pfizer’s vision that its customers should not have to wait while these reviews take place. As designed, the control tower was able to intercept the shipments and seamlessly trigger resupply to be delivered to those customers,” he added.

During the same briefing, Army General Perna stated that vaccine deliveries across the nation remain on track. On Thursday, there is another order of 886 to be delivered all around the country.

Source: CNBC