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The New York State Department of Health announced that the vaccine administered at Jones Beach on Monday, Feb. 15 is ineffective after it exceeded the permitted temperature to maintain its viability.
Anyone who received the improperly stored vaccine has been notified and a new shot has been rescheduled. Officials noted there is no health risk from receiving an ineffective vaccine.
Officials said the vaccine was being transported in insulated coolers to waiting cars on a particularly cold day when a worker noticed the temperature in one cooler dropping to a lower threshold.
The worker then attempted to increase the temperature, which instead made it exceed the upper threshold unexpectedly and unknowingly.
Approximately 10 percent of the people vaccinated on Feb. 15 received ineffective doses.
“New Yorkers' health and safety is our top priority, and due to this vaccine's very specific temperature sensitivity, we have a process in place to identify if any temperature excursions occur,” New York State Department of Health spokesperson Jill Montag said in a statement. “This process worked, allowing us to quickly pinpoint this issue, identify the extremely small number of individuals impacted, and immediately begin taking action.
“The Department of Health has determined there was no health risk to New Yorkers, and we have contacted everyone involved to reschedule their appointments as soon as possible."
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