At least 2,300 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have gone to waste in Washington – KING5.com

According to an incomplete data set, healthcare providers have wasted thousands of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

OLYMPIA, Wash. At least 2,315 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have gone to waste in Washington state, according to information reported to the state.

That data is incomplete and is only what's been reported to the state Immunization Information System so far. Not every health care provider is entering data the same way or reporting all fields, according to a state spokesperson.

Earlier this month, the Washington State Hospital Association said that though it isn't happening frequently, doses are being thrown out.

An employee at a MultiCare facility said doses of the vaccine are being thrown away at the end of shifts because state guidelines make it difficult to provide doses for those who don't meet the criteria for the current phase at that time the state was in Phase 1A. If someone doesn't show up for their appointment, the clinic administering the vaccine is left with an extra which cannot be saved because it expires too quickly.

The state is now in the first tier of Phase 1B.

Washington State Hospital Association CEO Cassie Sauer said if this happens, its only a few doses at a time.

If youre doing 500, 700 doses a day, to end up at the end of the day with three leftovers, you know, wed like there to be zero but thats a hard ratio to hit, Sauer said earlier this month.

The Department of Health sent this statement to KING 5 regarding the vaccine doses and ways to make sure they do not go to waste.

"We've seen a few cases of vaccine excursion, usually with it being out of temperature range. In those cases, they are referred to Moderna or Pfizer, and the manufacturer lets them know viability. There have also been a few cases when people didnt know to what to do with extra vaccine who to give vaccine to if they cant find a 1A person. Providers in that situation are asked to make a clinical judgment about who should receive the vaccine. One reason DOH expanded Phase 1A to add tier 2 was so that those who have vaccinated their tier 1 employees can begin vaccinating in tier 2."

More here:

At least 2,300 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have gone to waste in Washington - KING5.com