At least 15 million coronavirus vaccines have been discarded since March, CDC data indicates. Pharmacists, local governments and other institutions that make shots have passed the data to the CDC. It is possible that many more vaccines have disappeared in the trash, as not all data is yet compiled into report.
For example, vaccines are discarded if an error has been made in distributing the liquid to injection needles or if the vaccine has not been stored at the correct temperature.
“Yet it is tragic that millions of vaccines are wasted while there are countries in Africa where not even 5 percent of the population has been vaccinated,” said Sharifah Sekalala, who investigates inequality and Infectious Diseases at the British University of Warwick, to NBC News.
A CDC spokesman stressed that the number of discarded vaccines is still ‘extremely low’ compared to the total number of people vaccinated in the US. Over 370 million shots have been made in the country.
About the author: Matthew Johnson
Matthew Johnson, a small tech business owner retired and found his passion in journalism.
