January 1, 70 Children in Maryland Given Expired COVID Vaccines

At least 70 children ages 5-11 in Maryland received expired COVID-19 vaccine doses after an alleged storage error.

Prince George County health officials said there’s no health risk to the children who received an expired Pfizer dose, but they’re likely to be less effective.

The doses had expired two days earlier and were stored in the same refrigerator as the viable doses, the department said.

Prince George’s County is working with the Maryland Department of Health, Pfizer, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fix the error.

The health department announced it will have special private clinics for affected families so the children can get revaccinated.

“As a pediatrician, I want to assure parents that receiving an expired COVID-19 vaccine dose or receiving a replacement dose does not endanger your child’s health,” Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Health, Human Services, and Education Dr. George L. Askew said in the release. “An expired dose may not provide the maximum protection that these vaccines give and that’s why the County quickly made arrangements for each of these children to get revaccinated.”

Source:

70 Children Given Expired COVID Vaccines in Prince George’s County