London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 25, 2025

Texas Officials Scrambled To Administer COVID Vaccines Before They Expired During A Winter Storm

Texas Officials Scrambled To Administer COVID Vaccines Before They Expired During A Winter Storm

"We've got to get them into arms."

As a dangerous winter storm pummels Texas, leaving millions without electricity and at least 10 people dead, public health officials are scrambling to save one of the most essential commodities: coronavirus vaccines.

Huge swathes of the country have been hit with unprecedented winter conditions, but in Texas, which largely runs on its own electrical grid, power outages have pushed officials to distribute soon-to-expire COVID vaccines as quickly as possible.

Texas was already facing a delayed weekly shipment of vaccines from the CDC on Friday in anticipation of the storm, said Chris Van Deusen, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services. Several counties announced that vaccination sites would be closed for days amid the freezing conditions.

"No one wants to put vaccine at risk by attempting to deliver it in dangerous conditions," Van Deusen told BuzzFeed News. "Local providers have postponed vaccine clinics because it is not safe for people to be out across much of Texas."

In Harris County, the most populous in the state and one of the hardest hit by the storm, a series of failed power events left officials scrambling to distribute those vaccines just hours before they expired.

The building that stored the county's supply of Moderna vaccines lost power early Monday. Then, its backup generator failed, and the refrigerator storing the vaccines did not send out a warning that its temperature had risen above the level required to keep the doses viable, Lina Hidalgo, a county judge and emergency management director for Harris County, told BuzzFeed News.

"By the time we realized what had happened, we had about six hours or so to get the vaccine distributed. There were around 8,300 doses that we needed to distribute," Hidalgo said. "We could not ask individuals to drive anywhere because the roads were totally impassable."

Officials quickly came up with a plan to find facilities with a large number of people that had medical personnel who could administer the vaccine. The county ended up distributing doses to three hospitals, the Harris County Jail — which is nearing capacity and has seen COVID-19 outbreaks among detainees — and Rice University.

"The moment we have vaccines that are about to spoil, we can't say, 'No we’re not going to give it to these folks because they’re too young' or whatever it is. We've got to get them into arms," Hidalgo said. "Normally, when we have the benefit of time and planning we prioritize the older population, we make specific arrangements for vulnerable populations. But in this situation, it’s about making sure that those vaccines do not go to waste."

Officials later heard back from Moderna, which gave guidance on returning the vaccines to storage facilities.

A medical staff member prepares to administer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the United Memorial Medical Center on Dec. 21, 2020, in Houston.


Hidalgo called county officials' rush to distribute the vaccines during the storm a "miraculous effort."

"Everybody was in a mass scramble," she said. "Luckily, not a single dose was lost, not a single vial was wasted."

COVID-19 testing and vaccination appointments on Tuesday were similarly postponed in Austin, which continues to grapple with freezing rain. Austin Public Health officials did not respond to a request for comment, but on Monday said the vaccines in storage would not be affected by the power outages, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

But the statewide delay caused by the weather further hampers Texas's mass vaccination effort, which many residents are already frustrated with. The rollout was first hobbled by data issues that did not reflect actual vaccination rates, and as eligibility expanded, many elderly people found themselves ill-equipped to schedule appointments online.

Treacherously cold temperatures are expected to last until Friday in some parts of the state, but Van Deusen said the next shipment of vaccines was expected on Wednesday at the earliest.

Hidalgo said the biggest downside regarding the vaccines is that the storm will have delayed vaccine distribution by at least two days.

"That’s unfortunate," she said. "That’s time that we would have been distributing them."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
×