The quarantine authorities decided to use the COVID-19 vaccine of AstraZeneca (AZ) recovered outside the proper storage temperature range during the transfer from the Icheon Logistics Center in Gyeonggi-do to Jeju Island without discarding.
Yang Dong-gyo, head of the Resource Management Team of the Corona 19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, said that the AstraZeneca vaccine recovered yesterday at an online briefing today (25th) "is judged to have no problem, so it will not be discarded and will be used again in the future."
"There is a condition that the AstraZeneca vaccine should be refrigerated and distributed at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, and should not be frozen," said Mr. Yang, but in the case of the (recovered) vaccine yesterday, it was about 0.5 degrees out of storage temperature. It was confirmed that it has not been frozen," he said. "Combining these things, I think there is no problem with the use of the vaccine."
"We will make every effort to maintain the cold chain, such as checking the temperature in the transport container in detail before departure (vehicle) and checking again through the workshop manager and the integrated control center," he said. "I am sorry for worrying the people." I apologized.
(Photo = Yonhap News)