Florida is administering about 99.8% of the COVID-19 vaccine doses that have been given to the state without issue, with more than 3,300 reported wasted, department of health officials said Thursday.
The 3,344 vaccine doses that have been reported wasted in the state includes vials that were broken, either in transit or during administration, and any vials that were thawed and unable to be administered within the recommended time for use, Florida Department of Health Officials said.
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"This means 99.8% of doses administered to date are being administered without any issue, spoilage or waste," the health department said in a statement.
Of the two vaccines approved for use in the United States, the Pfizer vaccine must be stored in ultra-cold freezers, while the Moderna vaccine requires regular freezer temperatures.
As of Wednesday, Florida had administered about 1,290,157 first-dose vaccines, with about 204,000 people receiving the second booster shot.
Florida so far has limited vaccines to frontline healthcare workers and seniors 65 and older.
The department of health said they "encourage health care providers and those administering the vaccine to make every effort to ensure no doses are wasted or discarded."
