Nearly 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been wasted in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control reports about 3.5 percent of the 438 million doses that have been delivered have had to be discarded.
That may sound like a lot but it’s actually less than the five to 15 percent waste rate that is typical for vaccines stored in multi-dose vials.
Part of that is because those vials have to be used quickly after they are opened.
As smaller providers receive the vaccine, it’s more likely they won’t get to use all the doses in each vial.
The CDC says it is working with providers and jurisdictions to try to minimize that waste.
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