Ulsan Nursing Hospital Disposes of 100 Vaccine Doses Due to Refrigeration Facility Malfunction

Medical staff are preparing for AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine administration. 20210304 / Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] A nursing hospital in Ulsan is discarding 10 vials of AstraZeneca vaccines stored due to a malfunction in the refrigeration system.

According to Ulsan City on the 4th, A nursing hospital in Dong-gu confirmed on the morning of the 1st that the dedicated refrigerator storing the AstraZeneca vaccines was not operating properly.

Investigation revealed that the vaccines received on the 27th of last month exceeded the storage temperature due to a malfunction in the power strip on the same day. AstraZeneca vaccines must be stored refrigerated at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.

The vaccines in the refrigerator at that time consisted of 10 vials, which is enough for a total of 100 people (10 doses per vial).

The city is proceeding with the disposal procedure of the vaccines following the guidelines from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. A nursing hospital plans to receive additional vaccine supplies to complete vaccinations for 72 eligible recipients.