Vaccine refrigerator destroyed in Sarpsborg – must drop 300 doses – VG

A refrigerator with just over 600 doses of vaccine ran out of power last night. Now, more than 300 of them must be disposed of and the rest are quarantined.

– We have had an accident with a refrigerator in our vaccination center. Vaccines are not stored as they should at the proper temperature, says Sarpsborg health manager Ø claim Werner Johansen.

The Pfizer / BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines were in the refrigerator.

For a while it was unclear what would happen to the vaccines, but on Friday afternoon, the municipality of Sarpsborg received a message from the National Institute of Public Health:

Pfizer vaccines should not be used and AstraZeneca vaccines have been discontinued until further notice.

Despite that, there is no reason to worry, Johansen tells VG.

– We have received confirmation that we will be able to replace Pfizer vaccines with FHI. They come in addition to what we imagine and will come next week. We are very happy with that, says the health director.

Vaccination of healthcare professionals continues

AstraZeneca’s vaccine doses were planned for use anyway, as they tolerate warmer temperatures better than Pfizer.

The municipality urgently summoned health personnel to use them within 48 hours.

– It has been debated whether those doses should be used, so they are quarantined for so long while waiting for a response from the manufacturer. Instead, we used the dosages we had planned to use next week, until we get clarification, says Johansen.

-The urgent summons is still pending, he adds.

I had to wait for the message

Of the more than 300 doses of the Pfizer vaccine that were to be given to the elderly as a second dose, it was unclear Friday morning whether it could be used.

The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is very sensitive to changes in temperature.

Doses must be stored at minus 75 degrees to remain stable, and can withstand a maximum of five days at refrigerator temperature and two hours at room temperature.

On Friday morning, Johansen told VG that therefore there was a possibility that they would have to rule out vaccines.

– There we are in dialogue with the National Institute of Public Health about what we should do, they have not told us yet, said the health director.

NIPH: Awaiting response from manufacturer

The National Institute of Public Health says they have contacted Pfizer to get an answer on whether the vaccine can be used or not.

– I can confirm that we are familiar with the case, and that we have sent the request to the manufacturer who must give a statement on whether the vaccines can be used or not, since this is a deviation that goes beyond what we have stability data . for, and that we relate to this. So far we have not received a response, writes Espen Ellingsen at FHI in an email to VG.

– In the meantime, the municipality was informed that the vaccine will not be used until we receive some feedback, says Ellingsen.

The error was discovered on Friday morning when vaccination was due to begin, and the municipality was forced to send the elderly home without the second dose.

– It is very sad and unfortunate, but they will be vaccinated – I promise you, says the director of health in Sarpsborg.

Johansen emphasizes that those who have to go home without their vaccine dose on Friday will be called for a new appointment shortly.

It is not yet known what caused the refrigerator power loss.

– We will go through what has happened and we will do everything possible so that it does not happen again.