There is an imbalance between the number of COVID-19 vaccines arriving in Mississippi and the number of people rolling up their sleeves and getting the shot. As a result, some vaccine doses go to waste at the end of the day. This imbalance may change with the recent surge of vaccinations.
Vaccines, once thawed, have a limited time period in which they can be administered. Pfizer stays viable for around six hours, and Moderna for around 12. Once this time period expires, they are labeled as “waste.” The exact number of vaccines going to waste is unknown, possibly due to sites not reporting how many vials end up in the trash on a daily basis.
Rather than dwell on negative numbers, some professionals like Lauren Bloodworth, Clinical Professor in the Ole Miss Department of Pharmacy Practice, are choosing to focus on using as many vaccines as possible every day.
“We hope that none of our allotment goes to waste,” she said. “We make every attempt to use every dose in a vial.”
A local pharmacist involved in administering vaccines shared similar sentiments. The Daily Mississippian agreed to withhold the pharmacist’s name because the company for which he works discourages employee interaction with media.
“Every single attempt was made to be very very prudent with what we were given,” he said.
Still, wastage occurs.
“The Mississippi State Department of Health has encouraged us to always open a vial if we have a person that would like the vaccine even if that means that some waste will occur,” Bloodworth said.
“In order to serve patients and make the vaccine available to them, there is going to be necessary waste,” the pharmacist said.
The line lies in the word “necessary.” Some wastage is inevitable every day. The issue arises when there are more vaccines thrown away than normal.
Mississippians aged 12 and over are eligible to get the vaccine. Vaccines are free and many sites offer walk-in appointments. For UM students, the Pfizer vaccine is currently offered at a walk-in clinic at the Johnson Commons. Despite the accessibility, Mississippians are not getting the vaccine at the rate at which they are arriving. One quick scroll on the state’s vaccine scheduler shows that there are hundreds of open appointments across each county.
According to the New York Times, as of Sept. 13, Mississippi is using 72% of its allotted vaccines. This percentage is one of the lowest in the United States, passed only by Alabama.
40% of Mississippi adults are fully vaccinated. This is well below the percentage needed for herd immunity. Many are hesitant to get the vaccine, making the numbers needed difficult to reach.
Many still have questions about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We are hopeful that if a person is hesitant that they will talk with the primary care provider or pharmacist or nurse practitioner about it and have any questions answered,” Bloodworth said.
Less vaccine wastage is within reach. The key lies in spreading accurate information, according to the pharmacist.
“The number of bodies that have been involved – the number of doses that have been subjected to scrutiny – is incredible,” he said. “The studies have proven that it’s safe.”
The data shows that this information is spreading.
“Within the last two and a half months, there’s been a tremendous surge in vaccinations,” the pharmacist said.
Between July and August, vaccine rates in Mississippi increased, peaking at 86,051 shots administered on Aug. 21. More people may be realizing the safety of the vaccine. Others may be getting their “I got my Covid vaccine” stickers for one important reason: the Grove.
“A lot of people are concerned about football,” the pharmacist said.
Many want the Ole Miss tailgating experience back, and they believe the path to this is through vaccination. Whether or not people are getting vaccinated for the Rebels, the amount of vaccine wastage in Mississippi may decrease if the vaccination rates continue to increase. The key is to keep these numbers going up.
