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Almost 2,000 Vaccine Doses Spoiled at JP VA Medical Center After Freezer Unplugged

Last updated on January 29, 2021

As people across the world clamor for Coronavirus vaccines, a careless circumstance led to nearly 2,000 vaccine doses being spoiled at the Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center.

The plug of a freezer was loose after a contractor removed it while cleaning, reported NBCboston.com. The freezer in a secure location with an alarm system that was installed.

Congressman Stephen Lynch visited the facility after hearing about the human error that led to the vaccine doses being compromised. His office shared an image of what the back of the freezer looked like before the error, and then after when it had been more secured.

Antoun Houranieh, Associate Chief Pharmacist of the JP VA, right, showed Congressman Stephen Lynch the freezer that was compromised. (Photo from Stephen Lynch’s office)

Lynch took a tour of the facility with director of the site, Vincent Ng, and the two have asked Michael Missal, Inspector General of the VA, to visit the site and offer any further recommendations to improve safety.

As of Jan. 19, 359,919 Massachusetts residents have been vaccinated, according to the state’s COVID-19 website.