By Heather Hollingsworth & John Hanna-Associated Press
Officials say a Kansas hospital had to throw away 570 doses of a coronavirus vaccine because of a refrigeration mistake. Lawrence Memorial Hospital said in a news release that city and county health officials transferred the doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to the hospital on Wednesday. The hospital then put them in a freezer, not realizing they were thawed.
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.
Confusion arose because most doses are shipped frozen, but the health department had received this 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.
