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COVID-19

Hundreds rush to get a COVID-19 vaccination in Seattle overnight following freezer failure

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Late on Thursday, a freezer storing Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine broke in Seattle, Washington, leaving hundreds of doses at risk of expiring. After an emergency call was sent out, hundreds of people rushed to Seattle University and University of Washington clinics for impromptu appointments. Fortunately, all the doses were administered by early Friday morning.

Late on Thursday, a freezer storing Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine broke in Seattle, Washington, leaving hundreds of doses at risk of expiring. After an emergency call was sent out, hundreds of people rushed to Seattle University and University of Washington clinics for impromptu appointments. Fortunately, all the doses were administered by early Friday morning.

  1. BREAKING: After a freezer failed late Thursday night, nurses, firefighters and volunteers scrambled to use as many doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine as possible before they expired.

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  2. A special freezer failed last night, putting ~800 doses of vaccine at risk. Hospitals in Seattle sent out emergency messages and people dashed to get in line. No vaccines were wasted. via and , reporting in the dead of night.

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  3. SEATTLE: Are you/do you know someone who qualifies for the vaccine in Washington and can get to Seattle University in the next 3 hours? There are slots open after midnight - 2 a.m. Go! Go! Go!

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  4. 29 Jan 2021

    Colleague reports a Kaiser Permanente freezer malfunctioned, requiring quick administration of vaccine at several sites, per .

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  5. 29 Jan 2021

    Long line at UW Medicine - Northwest for a vaccination clinic sprung up after freezer emergency elsewhere. Line stretches for several blocks. Still gathering info on what happened. Hundreds here. Line stretches several blocks through campus.

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  6. 29 Jan 2021

    UW Medical center received 800 doses between two campuses. The doses needed to be used by 5:30 a.m. Friday to avoid going to waste, according to staffers here. Fascinating scene. More soon.

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  7. 29 Jan 2021

    Freezer malfunction leads to impromptu vaccine distribution in the middle of the night at multiple Seattle locations ... news spread via social media with a mix of chaos and excitement for the 1,000+ doses. We got in line but missed out by a tiny margin.

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  8. Update: All the vaccine slots at the Swedish clinic are full after a late-night scramble. Doses also went to Northwest Hospital, per . A freezer malfunctioned, so the vaccines needed to be distributed before they expired.

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  9. 29 Jan 2021

    Volunteers *ran out to the street corner* just now, minutes before the final doses were to expire and vaccinated this 75-year-old woman who runs a daycare! Around 3:30am or so! Unreal

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  10. 29 Jan 2021

    It’s quiet here at the Swedish vaccine clinic on the campus of Seattle University. You would never know the miracle that happened overnight. 150 volunteers rallied to make sure 880 doses of Covid vaccine did not go to waste

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  11. 29 Jan 2021

    Give these folks a commendation for quick thinking and smart action.

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  12. 29 Jan 2021

    Freezer storing vaccines breaks Thursday night in Seattle. Medical center posts urgent message, sets up 11 p.m.-2 a.m. appointments before doses expire. Hundreds show up in pajamas and robes to receive vaccine. All doses administered. -

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  13. 29 Jan 2021

    “Tyson Greer, 77, said she had been waking up at 1 a.m. or 3 a.m. for more than a week to search online for hard-to-secure vaccination appointments.” & reported on the late-night dash to administer vaccines after a freezer failure.

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  14. Johnson & Johnson announced on Friday that data from its global vaccine trial shows it is 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, and 85% effective in preventing more severe illness.

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  15. Learn about how to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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