Florida healthcare officials wasted more than 3,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
3,344 doses were broken or left unused after thawing, but the state received more than 3 million doses from the federal government, and officials reported spoilage of about one in 1,000 doses.
So, Florida has given out more than 1.6 million shots, and that means the spoilage only amounts to about 0.2%. The department encourages healthcare providers to make every effort to ensure that no doses are wasted or discarded,”
The effort to vaccinate Floridians is the most ambitious effort in American history, and the available vaccines, are challenging to give out in part because they must be frozen while stored. Pfizer’s vaccine has to be kept around -94 degrees Fahrenheit; Moderna shots are stored at -4 degrees. Patients have to get two doses spaced weeks apart, adding another layer of challenges for officials.
Florida has administered at least one dose to about 6.8% of its population, ranking 10th highest per capita among the 50 states.
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