CHCC issues warning on Pfizer COVID vaccine – Saipan Tribune

The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. has been notified of an Important Drug Warning notice by Pfizer, the manufacturer for Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, relating to a shipping error that affected certain COVID-19 vaccine products sent to the CNMI, Guam, Palau, Micronesia, and Alaskan cities.

The error is due to a vaccine temperature excursion meaning vaccines reached temperatures outside of the recommended range during shipment. Temperature excursions can affect the potency and effectiveness of vaccines.

Out of abundance of caution, the vaccine manufacturer, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and U.S. Food & Drug Administration is recommending revaccination for individuals who received vaccinations from the affected inventory.

Approximately 260 doses of the impacted vaccines were administered in the CNMI this year. The CHCC will be contacting identified community members who may need revaccination to inform them about the situation and schedule them should they choose to do so. Patients can expect to be vaccinated at the CHCC Immunization Clinic, Rota Health Center, and Tinian Health Center at no cost.

The CHCC wants to assure community members that their health and safety continues to be their priority. Vaccines continue to be one of public healths critical preventative measures against diseases and outbreaks. Ensuring proper storage, handling, and timely delivery of vaccines is a constant challenge, however, steps are in place for our team to monitor and manage vaccine shipments.

For more information about CHCC programs, follow @cnmichcc on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter; visit https://www.chcc.health; or call the CHCC Immunization Program at (670) 236-8745. (PR)

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CHCC issues warning on Pfizer COVID vaccine - Saipan Tribune