After Temperature Error, Some New Yorkers Need to Redo Vaccine

Tuesday, February 23, 2021 2:09 pm | < 1 Minute Read

By Sara Marcus

A bandaid, alcohol swab and “I got vaccinated” stickers are seen at a COVID-19 pop-up vaccination site in Brooklyn. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool)

At least 80 people out of the 1,300 vaccinated at the Jones Beach vaccination site in Nassau County will need to redo their shot.

A staffer’s attempt to reheat the vaccines with a hand warmer after noticing the freezer was too cold may have undercut the vaccines efficiency, Fox News 5 reported. Fortunately, officials said, the error did not make the vaccine harmful to the people who received it.

All those impacted from that February 15h incident were contacted by the Health Department and rescheduled their appointments.

“New Yorkers’ health and safety is our top priority, and due to this vaccine’s very specific temperature sensitivity, we have a process in place to identify if any temperature excursions occur,” the NYS Health Department said in a statement.

“This process worked, allowing us to quickly pinpoint this issue, identify the extremely small number of individuals impacted, and immediately begin taking action. The Department of Health has determined there was no health risk to New Yorkers, and we have contacted everyone involved to reschedule their appointments as soon as possible.”

More than 2.2 million first doses of the vaccine have been distributed in New York, and nearly 1.2 million New Yorkers are fully vaccinated.

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smarcus@hamodia.com