BATON ROUGE, Luisiana.- The problem of anti-Covid dosis dose wasted in Louisiana continues to rise, with about 224 thousand doses ruled out statewide because healthcare providers can’t find enough residents willing to inject.
The number of vaccines discarded has nearly tripled since the end of July, even as the area grappled with a fourth deadly surge in coronavirus pandemic During that time it led to an increased interest in substances.
The latest data provided by the Department of Health showed that they were discarded 223,918 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines of two injections and the vaccine Johnson & Johnson of a single injection.
That’s relatively small compared to the 4.4 million doses given statewide. But while waste is not uncommon in mass immunization efforts, waste in the United States occurs when millions of people around the world are still waiting for the opportunity to get vaccinated.
Most of the wasted doses in Louisiana came because the vials containing the injections were opened, but hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and other providers could not find someone to take the doses, said health department spokesman Kevin Litten.
More than 21,500 injections were simply not used before their expiration date.
Another nearly 50,000 doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will expire next month, but Litten said the state hopes to distribute those vaccines before then.
Read also: Third dose of vaccine reduces 96% risk of suffering severe Covid, according to study
Louisiana has one of the lowest Covid-19 vaccination rates in the country, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which shows that only five states have lower vaccination rates.
More than 2.1 million people in the area, about 46% of the population, are fully vaccinated, reports the Department of Health.
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