The one thing about the COVID vaccine that surprises even doctors

It’s safe to say that there have been very few pleasant surprises when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. Lately, the most remarkable would be that two revolutionary vaccines have been developed, both showing efficacy rates close to 95%. But the tightly distributed shipments of COVID vaccines pleasantly surprised doctors once they arrived for a reason: there are extra doses in many vials.

According to reports from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), healthcare workers have noticed that their planned injections go further than expected. “It’s quite unusual to have a full extra dose or more – but it seems to be there!” Erin Fox, a University of Utah pharmacist who monitors drug shortages, told Politico. Read on to learn more about this benefit of the COVID vaccine, and for more facts endorsed by experts on vaccination, check out Dr. Fauci Just Debunked The 4 Biggest Myths About The COVID Vaccine.

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The FDA says doctors should feel free to use their extra doses.

The Pfizer vaccine was first launched on December 13, shipped in vials said to contain five doses each. But the doctors administering the injections soon realized that most vials provided much more than advertised, allowing six or even seven doses from one vial.

According to the government, this simply means that there is more to do. “At this time, given the public health emergency, the FDA advises that it is acceptable to use each full dose available (the sixth, if not the seventh) of each vial, pending resolution of the issue, “the agency said in a tweet. And for more on what exactly is in each vial, check out This Is What Really in the COVID Vaccine.

This could help avoid a potential shortage in the months to come.

An extra shot or two per vial may not seem like a lot, but it certainly adds up. According to Politico, the discovery increases the national supply of the rare vaccine by 40%. Experts now say the surplus could help avoid a “vaccine cliff” that could happen in the spring when the vaccine becomes available to the general public. And for more on how you can prepare for your injection, check out The CDC is warning you to prepare for these side effects of the COVID vaccine.

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Technically, the extra vaccine doses in the vials are no accident.

Even though the COVID-19 vaccine is a valuable commodity at this point, it is not uncommon for vials of these products to be a little overfilled. Pharmaceutical companies typically overfill bottles in anticipation of occasional spills and waste to keep usable products at their advertised minimum dose.

“It’s not badly measured”, former commissioner of the FDA David kessler, MD, said Rachel Maddow on his MSNBC show on December 16. “This is not negligence. This is the way these bottles are designed.” And for more regular updates on COVID delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

A significant amount of vaccine is needed to restore “normal life”.

With a plan in place to vaccinate those most vulnerable and at risk first – especially healthcare workers, residents of nursing homes, and people with pre-existing health conditions – experts say doses are not expected to reach the general public until spring. But according to Anthony Fauci, MD, a significant portion of the population will need to be vaccinated to restore some form of normalcy – and the extra doses can help get there even sooner.

“I would say 50 percent should get the shot before you start to see an impact,” Fauci told NPR in an interview on Dec. 15. “But I would say 75 to 85 percent should get the shot if you want to have this herd immunity coverage.” And for more information you should know about the vaccine, check out COVID vaccine could temporarily cripple this part of the body, FDA warns.