More than 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been released in the last six months.
Data obtained by NBC News from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal that the true level of vaccine residues in the country is higher than previously expected.
The 15 million doses have been ruled out since March, when vaccines began to be widely available to all American adults.
Large pharmacy chains and state health departments were primarily responsible for wasting vaccines.
The data is revealed after the country’s vaccine was released for months during late spring and early summer, until demand for punctures began to increase once an increase in Covid fueled by a Delta variant began.
More than 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been ruled out since March, according to an NBC News report. Walgreens is responsible for the loss of vaccines, as it makes 2.6 million doses
CVS is also among the largest vaccine wasters, launching 2.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
NBC’s aggregate vaccine residue data from vaccine suppliers across the country obtained through a public records application.
Walgreens, one of the nationwide pharmacy chains that partnered with the federal government to distribute vaccines, is responsible for the largest amount of waste at 2.6 million doses.
About 2.3 million doses were reported to have been wasted by CVS, 1.6 million by Walmart and 1.1 million by Rite Aid.
To date, each of the chains has played a crucial role in the distribution of the vaccine nationwide.
NBC estimates that the reported totals are probably a lower number compared to the total doses wasted so far.
There are several reasons why vaccine doses should be eliminated.
Sometimes a vial will be opened to serve the next person who enters to make a vaccine.
There are multiple reasons to rule out vaccines. Some are doses that are not used as part of an open bottle; some jars are damaged. Some also expired due to lack of demand for shots. (Photo of the file)
Once a vial is opened, however, it must be used within hours before it expires.
One vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine often included five to six doses, while a Modern vaccine vial included up to ten.
Sometimes a new vial is opened to a vaccinated person, but if no one else is ready to receive the remaining doses, the rest of the vial should be discarded.
Doses are also ruled out in cases where vials are damaged or damaged due to inadequate cooling.
“While we regret having to eliminate any vaccines, we are extremely proud of the employees in our store who have helped administer more than 30 million doses,” a CVS spokesman told NBC.
“When we are given the option to potentially save a life or slightly improve our waste figures, we will always choose the former.”
Many doses were also wasted by state health departments to which doses were assigned for distribution.
Texas was the leader in wasted doses, with more than 517,000 vaccines discarded, more than 200,000 more than any other state.
North Carolina (285,126 wasted doses), Pennsylvania (244,214) and Oklahoma (226,163) were also among the leaders in doses discarded by state officials.
“While we do our best to prevent waste, and while we don’t want to waste them on purpose, we also don’t want to miss any vaccination opportunities,” the Pennsylvania Department of Health said in a statement about vaccine waste. .
Many vaccines have also been released after they have expired, as demand for vaccines grew for months in early summer.
Demand for vaccines among Americans dropped significantly in late spring.
Vaccine deployment peaked in early April, when more than 3.5 million doses were distributed each day.
The figure dropped to below 500,000 doses a day in early July, a low point since vaccines were widely available.
Covid cases began to rise once again in July, however, when the Delta variant began its takeover of the United States.
On specific days, the country has vaccinated more than a million people in a 24-hour period.
In general, about 700,000 Americans receive discomfort daily and the figure has been growing slowly in recent months.
In total, 62% of Americans have received at least one vaccine against the COVID-19 vaccine and 53% are fully vaccinated.
Any American over the age of 12 can choose at least one of the vaccines.