Prognosis
Vaccine Waste at 0.1% Fails to Ease the Worries of U.S. Doctors
- Tossing far fewer doses than typical for global inoculation
- Summer’s heat, vacations will pose fresh logistical challenges
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States across the U.S. are reporting little waste of Covid-19 vaccine, in what appears to be evidence that careful handling of doses amid soaring demand is helping get almost every available shot into the arms of Americans.
Any global mass-vaccination campaign -- such as those for Ebola or measles -- reports wastage, or doses ready for injection that aren’t administered. The numbers varied widely last month, such as 6.5% of Covid vaccines wasted in India to 1.8% in Scotland. Wales, in a weekly report on April 11, listed no more than 0.9% of doses as “not suitable for use” among the Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc formulas.