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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Two hospitals in Portland threw more than three dozen doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in total and state health officials were initially unaware of wasted injections, report says .
Oregon Health & Science University lost 15 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after one vial broke and two were mixed incorrectly, The Oregonian / OregonLive reported Wednesday. Legacy Health wasted 27 doses when it couldn’t find health workers to take the excess vaccine before it expired. The vaccine must be stored at ultra-cold temperatures to be effective and must be administered promptly.
The wasted doses only reflect 0.07% of the vaccines given so far in Oregon.
It is not known if doses in other parts of Oregon have been wasted.
The Oregon Health Authority said it learned of the wasted doses from the newspaper and then confirmed them with OHSU and Legacy, although Legacy said it previously reported the information to the state as required.
The state reported 764 new confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases and eight other deaths on Wednesday.
More than 60,000 doses have been administered, but nearly 75% of the doses delivered to the state – some 225,000 – have not yet been placed in the arms of Oregonians. Governor Kate Brown has called for 12,000 vaccinations per day by the end of next week, but the state is still a long way from meeting that target with 2,800 doses administered on Wednesday.
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