"Confusion Between Refrigeration and Freezing in Large Hospitals"... Vaccine Expiry Mismanagement Under Scrutiny

Vaccination.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] Recently, it has come to light that some hospitals have been poorly managing the recommended administration period for COVID-19 vaccines, increasing public anxiety.

Today (the 5th), the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) stated in a reference document that "Pyeongtaek Seongmo Hospital administered vaccines that were past their refrigerated expiration date to a total of 104 people over two days, on the 2nd and 3rd of this month." They added, "This is a case where vaccines past their refrigerated expiration period (within 31 days from the time of refrigerated thawing) were administered," and "vaccines with a refrigerated expiration date until the 1st of this month were administered on the 2nd and 3rd."

Currently, Pyeongtaek Seongmo Hospital has notified the vaccinated individuals of the misadministration via text messages. The hospital explained, "We immediately reported the incident to the local health center and the KDCA and are awaiting instructions," adding, "There are no safety concerns, but we will leave the judgment on effectiveness to the KDCA and will be informed later about whether re-vaccination is necessary."

However, this is not the first incident of COVID-19 vaccine misadministration due to expiration date management issues. Previously, at Dongcheon Donggang Hospital in Ulsan, expired Pfizer vaccines were administered to a total of 91 people over four days from the 26th of last month to the 2nd of this month.

Also, at Incheon Sejong Hospital, over three days on the 20th, 25th, and 26th of last month, Pfizer vaccines that had exceeded their refrigerated expiration period by at least one day and up to a week were administered from three vials. It was revealed that the hospital mistook the frozen storage expiration date printed on the vaccine vials for the refrigerated storage expiration date.

Vaccination.
Photo by Yonhap News

Pfizer vaccines are stored frozen and then thawed in a refrigerator or at room temperature before administration. Unopened vaccines can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 hours, but once the vial is opened and diluted with saline, it must be used within 6 hours. However, the hospital reportedly confused the frozen expiration date printed on the vaccine vial with the refrigerated expiration date and administered the vaccines accordingly.

At Seoul Korea University Guro Hospital, a similar issue occurred where Pfizer vaccines that were near or past their recommended administration period after thawing were administered to about 140 people between the 26th and 27th of last month. The hospital administered vaccines regardless of the order in which they were received, resulting in vaccines with remaining refrigerated expiration periods being used first, while those near or past expiration were administered later.

Following consecutive misadministration incidents, controversy arose over whether vaccines are being poorly managed even in large hospitals. The refrigerated expiration date for Pfizer vaccines is only printed on the box at the time of supply, so the expiration date cannot be determined by looking at the vial alone. Because of this, some argue that smaller hospitals may find it easier for medical staff to directly manage vaccine inventory, whereas in large hospitals, where responsibilities are divided among departments, a mistake in one area could lead to poor overall management.

The health authorities explained that vaccines past their expiration date do not pose safety issues. However, they plan to determine the necessity of additional vaccinations based on discussions by the KDCA expert review committee, considering vaccine safety and efficacy. So far, no adverse reactions due to misadministration have been reported. Even the four patients at Korea University Guro Hospital who reported adverse reactions were found to have only mild symptoms such as low-grade fever and headache, which are common after vaccination.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.