Lined up wearing bathrobes… Midnight vaccination disturbance for 1600 people in Seattle, USA

“I didn’t have time to get dressed, so I just wore a bathrobe and came out.”

At midnight on the 29th (local time), a couple living in Seattle, Washington, USA, turned on Twitter before going to bed, and received unexpected news. At that time, it was news that anyone can get the Corona 19 vaccine if they go to a designated hospital nearby. The hospital was calling for the participation of residents, saying, “It is rare to get the corona 19 vaccine late at night.”

According to local media such as the New York Times (NYT), thousands of residents flocked to get the Corona 19 vaccine in front of a hospital in Seattle at 12:00 this night. There were quite a few people who came out in a hurry, wearing only slippers, pajamas, and bathrobes. NYT described it as a “frenzy midnight vaccination rush.”

The commotion started at 5 pm on the same day when the cryogenic freezer at the Seattle Kaiser Permanent Hospital broke down. In the freezer, 1600 doses of the US pharmaceutical company Modena’s Corona 19 vaccine were stored. Moders or vaccines that must be kept at -20 degrees Celsius should be used within 12 hours of exposure to room temperature.

The vaccine was to be given to medical and fire officials, but it was in an urgent need to use it. Initially, the hospital contacted only those who were given priority such as 65-year-olds, but it was not enough. Eventually, the 11 p.m. vaccination targets were expanded to all residents and attracted people.

Nearby hospitals joined in, increasing the inoculation sites and helping publicity. The hospital representative held a press conference and appealed, “If you can’t administer modders or vaccines to 1600 people within 12 hours, you have to throw them all away.”

It was late, but the reaction was hot. The reservation was completed within 30 minutes of notice, and a long line lined up in front of the hospital. There was also a grandmother who came in a wheelchair at 2 am. Thanks to this, the vaccination proceeded smoothly, and at 3:30 am I was able to run out of all the supplies. The expiration date was 1 hour and 30 minutes left. An official at Seattle Hospital explained the situation at the time, saying, “Before the vaccine expiration date, all vaccinations were given priority.”

In recent years, Pfizer-Bioentech and Modena vaccines have been subjected to similar disturbances in many places due to the features of cryogenic storage. In Oregon, when a vaccination vehicle was trapped on a highway in heavy snow, the NYT reported that vaccinations were inoculated to drivers on the road, whose expiration date was imminent.

Reporter Lee Min-jung [email protected]