Texas reports .06 percent of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been wasted
AUSTIN, Texas - The Department of State Health Services is reporting less than .1 percent of COVID-19 vaccines distributed in Texas have been wasted. The department is pleased with that number, as a small amount of waste is expected with the mass vaccination effort currently underway.
"Most of the doses of vaccines that have come to Texas are going into people's arms," said Lara Anton, spokeswoman for Texas DSHS.
So far about 3.1 million doses of the vaccine have been shipped to providers in Texas. Of those, about 1,750 have been compromised.
"It's usually minor things like somebody dropped a vial or the syringe, somebody touched the syringe, so it wasn't sterile anymore, and couldn't be used. Those types of things make up for a lot of the discarded doses," Anton said.
Providers also have to be sure the storage fridge or freezer is cold enough and working correctly and that thawed vaccines are used within a certain timeframe.
"It's absolutely crucial to have very sensitive thermometers that will let you know when the temperature is even slightly out of range. And also other sensors to let you know when, for example, electricity might be off. So in those cases, it's imperative to have a backup generator," said James Cong, director of Tarrytown Pharmacy, one of the vaccine providers in Travis County.
DOWNLOAD THE FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP
Many providers, like Austin Regional Clinic, have implemented policies to make sure once a vial is removed from the fridge, every dose is accounted for within the six-hour deadline.
"So we have a list of all of our patients based on age and health condition and so there's always somebody on the waiting list that can be called. The other thing we try to do is not open vials towards the very end of the day, that gives us a chance to find someone else that can take a vaccine," said Dr. Manish Naik, chief medical officer for Austin Regional Clinic.
Of all the vaccine providers in Travis County, nine reported wasted doses.
The largest number at one site was 63. Those vaccines were compromised because the refrigerator was not cold enough. Three providers reported losing about 25 doses each and the other five lost fewer than 10.
Although the Texas Department of State Health Services said those numbers are pretty good, there's always room for improvement. "We do counsel all of the providers that have a significant number of doses that had to be discarded to make sure that they are following proper storage and handling for the vaccine," Anton said.
DSHS says information about wasted vaccines is listed on a spreadsheet on their website. That is updated on a weekly basis.