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Georgia Department of Health spokeswoman Nancy Nydam told CNN that 110,079 doses were destroyed because they were not being used.
According to Nydam, there are various reasons why vaccines are not used, including unnecessary doses after being prepared, refusal by parents or children, damaged vials, leaking syringes and apparent contamination.
Vaccines using mRNA, such as Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, have a short shelf life when prepared. After the Pfizer vaccine is mixed for administration, it will only last six hours. Healthcare providers are advised to throw away any remaining vaccines after this time.
According to data from the Georgia Department of Health, the doses destroyed included thousands of the three approved manufacturers, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson.
“With over 8.5 million doses in guns, that’s a very small percentage (1.4%) that go unused,” Nydam said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) estimate / allowance for vaccine wastage is 5%, so Georgia is well below that percentage, Nydam said.
Georgia’s vaccination rate continues to lag in much of the country. According to state data, 39% of residents were fully immunized, while 44% had received at least one dose on Monday morning.
“Georgia continues to follow best practices to use every vaccine dose possible, however, as supply now exceeds demand, we will also not miss the opportunity to vaccinate someone when they are ready to be vaccinated. “Nydam told CNN.
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