Maine probes 4,400 spoiled doses of Moderna vaccine that were kept in warm temperatures while Michigan throws out 12,000 because the shipments were too cold

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Health officials in Maine said they have set aside 4,400 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine because they were not kept in cold enough temperatures while they were being shipped to inoculation sites throughout the state.

In Michigan, nearly 12,000 doses needed to be discarded because the vials were transported in temperatures that were too low, according to health officials. 

Dr. Nirav Shah, the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the state was expecting to receive replacement doses on Tuesday and Wednesday.

‘This was not something that occurred on the Maine CDC side but rather something that occurred during the packaging and shipping of the vaccine,’ Shah told NBC Boston.

Shah said that the matter is currently being investigated by Operation Warp Speed and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Registered nurse Holly Burnham vaccinates a person at the Northern Light Homecare and Hospice COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Wednesday, January 13

Health officials in Maine said they have set aside 4,400 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine because they were not kept in cold enough temperatures while they were being shipped to inoculation sites throughout the state

A graphic from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services shows the growth of COVID cases in the state over time

A chart illustrates the rise, fall and rise of positive test results in Maine

Moderna will evaluate the set-aside doses to see whether they are still safe to be administered, according to the Portland Press Herald.

The Moderna vaccine must be shipped and stored at -4 degree Fahrenheit for up to six months.

It can be preserved at regular refrigerated temperatures - between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit - for 30 days.

Once removed from refrigeration, the vaccines remain viable at room temperature for up to 12 hours.

Health officials in the state were disappointed that Maine residents who made appointments to get the vaccine needed to be turned away.

‘It's challenging, heartbreaking frankly because we had patients scheduled for those,’ said Crystal Landry, a registered nurse and CEO of Penobscot Valley Hospital.

The hospital was expecting to administer 200 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

‘We were just very, very happy we received the doses the following day as replacement. We had no delays,’ Landry said.

Shah said that the mistake was noticed by monitoring mechanisms used by the state.

‘Our goal among all of this is to make sure that vaccine that comes into the state is safe, effective and viable before it goes into any arms,’ Shah said.

‘This news is concerning but it's important to note this is how the system works.’

In Michigan, nearly 12,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine were compromised after the distributor said that the vials were shipped in temperatures that were too cold, according to the Detroit Free Press. 

The shipment, which went out on January 17, were handled by McKesson Corp., a health care distribution company contracted with the federal government to handle coronavirus vaccines. 

'Recently we were made aware that a number of Moderna vaccines that were shipped to Michigan were not kept at the appropriate temperature and thus we couldn't use them,' Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on Tuesday.

'That frustrates me when I know we are in a race and every vaccine matters. 

'But that's not something that I could control; it's not the state of Michigan's fault... I'm certain that people who had appointments scheduled at facilities that were supposed to get those particular shots were frustrated because they weren't able to get them.'

She added: 'That's part of the bumpy road that we are all experiencing nationwide.' 

Michigan health officials said the company is investigating the mishap and working on sending a replacement shipment.

In the first five weeks of the vaccination program, Michigan has administered some 513,000 doses. 

More than 586,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Michigan and 14,702 people have died in the state due to the virus since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. 

More than 586,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Michigan and 14,702 people have died in the state due to the virus since the start of the coronavirus pandemic

In the first five weeks of the vaccination program, Michigan has administered some 513,000 doses

As of Wednesday, more than 80,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Maine.

The positivity rate in the state has started to trend up again after showing some signs of flattening.

The latest average positivity rate in Maine is 9.83 per cent.

State health departments are calculating positivity rate differently across the country, but for Maine the AP calculates the rate by dividing new cases by test specimens using data from The COVID Tracking Project.

The seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 8.65 per cent on January 4 to 9.83 per cent on January 18.

Public health authorities in Maine have reported more than 34,000 positive cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic.

They’ve also reported 519 deaths.

Maine’s health care providers have started scheduling COVID-19 vaccines for those 70 and older, despite a short supply of doses.

Governor Janet Mills’ office has published a list online showing where people in that category can schedule an appointment.

MaineHealth was flooded with more than 18,000 calls Monday, the first day people could request an appointment, John Porter, spokesperson for the health care network, told the Portland Press Herald.

That number is equal to Maine’s statewide weekly supply of vaccines.

‘Patient vaccinations are rolling out across the system this week,’ he said, while noting ‘demand way exceeds the supply right now.’

The rollout comes after Mills announced last week that those 70 and older and younger adults with high-risk health conditions would be moved closer to the front of the line for vaccinations.

Shah said scheduling for younger residents will take place in the future.