The Tulsa Health Department announced Wednesday afternoon that 1,150 patients who received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine this month through the department were given doses that were kept frozen for too long, resulting in the need for those patients to be revaccinated for full protection.
“The health and safety of those we serve in our clinics is the top priority of the Tulsa Health Department,” THD Executive Director Dr. Bruce Dart said in a statement. “Proper vaccine storage and handling is paramount to the vaccine administration process. We immediately implemented additional cold chain control measures to ensure this does not happen in the future.”
The department said they were in the process of contacting all impacted recipients. The doses were administered between May 3 and 17 at the James O. Goodwin Health Center, the Central Regional Health Center, the Sand Springs Health Center, and the North Regional Health and Wellness Center.
"The vaccine was inadvertently administered after being stored in the freezer for longer than the recommended time by 1 to 14 additional days," the department said in a statement. "THD officials contacted the vaccine manufacturer, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Oklahoma State Department of Health to determine the corrective course of action. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices guidelines state 'vaccine exposed to inappropriate temperatures that is inadvertently administered should generally be repeated.'
"The CDC advised, 'Since all currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines are not live, the dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine can be repeated as soon as possible in the opposite arm. All affected patients should be offered revaccination. We would consider people receiving one additional dose as fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their final dose.'"
Oklahoma State Department of Health Deputy Commissioner Keith Reed said in a statement, "We are committed to supporting the Tulsa Health Department with the necessary resources to re-vaccinate any Oklahomans that may have been impacted. Representatives from the OSDH Immunization Division will work directly with THD to evaluate how this occurred and assist in reviewing procedures to ensure it does not happen again. Our priority remains to protect the health and safety of Oklahomans against COVID-19.”
“There is no medical risk to the individuals who received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine that had been in storage for longer than 14 days," said Oklahoma chief medical officer Dr. Gitanjali Pai. "I would encourage them not to worry and to be confident that the dose they received is perfectly safe. However, past this 14-day mark, the vaccine may not be as effective at protecting you from COVID-19. For this reason, we are asking these individuals to receive another dose of the vaccine so they can be fully protected."
