US wastes vaccines as cases rise and some nations demand doses

Vaccinations are now progressing in some states; more than 850,000 shots were recorded on Friday, bringing the daily national average to more than 650,000 from around 500,000 three weeks ago. Yet more than half of the American population is not fully vaccinated, according to a Times database. This includes children under 12, who are not yet eligible.

“At first it was kind of a crisis because people wanted it and couldn’t get it, and now it’s a crisis because we have it and people don’t want it,” he said. said Dr Marcus Plescia, who represents the state. health agencies as the chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territory Health Officials.

Many states have requested redistribution of unused vaccines overseas, but once doses are shipped to the states, federal regulations prohibit recalling them. And some countries, like Canada, have declined state offers for surplus vaccines.

“Here we are with tons of vaccines, and there are other countries around the world where people are in desperate need of vaccines,” Dr Plescia said.

With the delay in vaccinations, some state health officials have asked providers in recent months to open a new vial even if part of it is not being used.

“It’s better to give two doses and waste 12 than to leave 14 doses in the freezer,” said Kristen Dillon, director of the Oregon Health Authority’s Covid-19 Vaccine Planning Unit. Oregon has reported more than 78,000 doses as unsustainable, the “vast majority” of which were unused doses from opened vials, officials said.

In Arkansas, where only 36% of residents are fully vaccinated, nearly 55,000 doses had been wasted in mid-July, compared to about 580 in mid-March, with authorities prioritizing vaccinations over doses saved. “If we have the opportunity to give the vaccine, let’s go and do it,” said Robert Ator, a retired National Guard colonel who is leading the state’s vaccination effort.