Error forces Kansas hospital to throw out 570 vaccine doses

MISSION, Kan. (AP) – Officials say a Kansas hospital had to throw away 570 doses of a coronavirus vaccine because of a refrigeration mistake.

Lawrence Memorial Hospital said in a news release that city and county health officials transferred the doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to the hospital on Wednesday.

The hospital then put them in a freezer, not realizing they were thawed.

Confusion arose because most doses are shipped frozen, but the health department had received this batch in a refrigerated state.

The hospital reached out to Johnson & Johnson for guidance and was instructed that the doses would have to be discarded.