The 1044 dose of the new coronavirus vaccine, which was planned to be inoculated to medical staff at a hospital in Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture, was left at room temperature for a long time and became unusable.
According to Omuta Hospital in Omuta City, on the 28th, a pharmacist took out a box of vaccine from the ultra-low temperature freezer and handed a part to the nurse for vaccination of medical staff, but at this time, the remaining 1044 doses The box containing the vaccine was left on the preparation table.
Approximately three hours later, another pharmacist found the vaccine left unattended.
When this Pfizer vaccine is thawed at room temperature, it must be diluted within 2 hours before it can be used, and the hospital says it will be discarded.
Masayuki Kawasaki, director of Omuta Hospital, said at a press conference, "We deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused by the national and prefectural governments working to avoid wasting vaccines," and will work to prevent recurrence. is.
Fukuoka Prefecture says that it will not immediately affect the future vaccination schedule, but has issued a document requesting medical institutions that handle vaccines to thoroughly manage the vaccine.