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October 20, 2006

Replacing spoiled vaccine may delay flu shots for some

PROVIDENCE -- The state Department of Health announced today that it has returned a shipment of 10,000 doses of flu vaccine because it was stored at the wrong temperature during shipping.

The total supply of the flu vaccine “remains plentiful,” according to the health department notice, but some Rhode Islanders may have to wait to be vaccinated until late November or early December when the replacement shipments are scheduled to arrive.

Overall, 500,000 doses of the flu vaccine purchased by the Centers for Disease Control were recently ruined when the company, Cardinal Health, didn’t store them at the proper temperature during shipping; 10,000 of the doses were headed to Rhode Island.

The state has distributed 6,000 new doses purchased from another supplier to local doctors, according to today’s announcement. But the lack of the CDC doses may force some Rhode Islanders to wait for their vaccine.

Flu season lasts through the end of March, according to the Health Department, which said that “it is not too late to get a flu shot at any time during the winter.”

-- Projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 4:10 PM | Permalink

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David Campbell | October 20, 2006 7:23 PM link

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