CLEVELAND, Ohio – Unconfirmed rumors abound from pharmacists and other health care professionals throwing away precious doses of COVID-19 vaccines that are about to expire, or giving them to a privileged couple, rather than people on long waiting lists eligible.
The vaccines are short, and the waiting lists are long. So much is well documented. But are the stories of vaccines going to waste or in unsuitable arms true or just products of overactive imagination?
Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer sought answers by contacting the Ohio Department of Health, the Cuyahoga County Health Board, and some private vaccine providers. This is what we found:
Has the province or state received reports of vaccines going to waste?
The provincial council reported that they had not received any reports that pharmacies or another vaccine supplier was discarding unused doses.
Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman Alicia Shoults emailed the possibility of being unused, stating only that the department had not received any reports of “widespread avoidable vaccine waste” as incidents already reported.
Two such incidents – one in January in which 890 doses went to waste, and another in February in which residents at five old age homes had to be re-vaccinated – relate to the vaccination of vaccines that are not stored at the right temperature, and not remaining doses.
According to the guidelines, suppliers should contact ODH if more than 20 doses have been compromised. Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer have asked the state to provide records showing how often this has happened. The department has yet to comply with the request.
Why would doses be unused?
People who have signed up for a vaccination may cancel at the last minute or simply not show up. The vaccine is also stored in vials containing multiple doses, allowing suppliers to incorrectly calculate the number of vials required during a vaccination session.
Why would leftovers be a problem?
After the Moderna and Pfizer BioNTech vaccines have been opened or prepared, they should be used within six hours. Doses not used within six hours cannot be refunded.
What to do with leftovers?
The Ohio Department of Health proposes, but does not require, that every Ohio provider – pharmacies, health departments, health clinics, or others – “receive a backup plan” to administer doses before it expires.
Under such a backup plan, providers must first give remaining vaccine to people who are currently eligible. Today it includes adults 65 years and older, teachers or others in groups Phase 1A and 1B.
If such people cannot be found in time, doses can be given to the general public, but preferably to people with underlying medical conditions.
What kind of backup plans are there?
Some providers, including pharmacies such as Discount Drug Mart, use assistance lists.
“In each store, we build a list of eligible people we believe will be willing to vaccinate with relatively short notice,” said Jason Briscoe, director of pharmacy operations at the Ohio pharmacy chain. “We will proactively call patients so they can get there comfortably” before the vaccine expires.
Drug Mart is also trying to monitor the appointment and use of vaccines during the day so that pharmacists know by noon (rather than, say, 8:00 p.m.) if doses remain the day, Briscoe said.
The Cuyahoga County Health Board does not have a support list for its vaccination clinics at the fair in Berea. Spokesman Kevin Brennan said the board does have a plan to avoid wastage.
“We are reducing the number of open lanes at the aisles and reducing the amount of vaccine at each station an hour before the clinics end to ensure there is no waste,” Brennan said.
In the rare case, doses are left over, the numbers are small and the board then contacts nearby long-term care facilities, healthcare providers or EMS workers to find suitable recipients, Brennan said.
Would the state or country consider compiling a centralized assistance list?
No, neither the state nor the province is considering compiling a master list that can be used by multiple providers.
Brennan told the provincial council: ‘Each supplier is responsible for their own vaccine supply, so the idea of mixing all the suppliers on one waiting list is not practical in terms of accountability, logistics and execution. As suppliers, we are best at looking after our own inventory. ”
Assistance lists are best maintained and used by individual providers, Shoults said. The state is working on a centralized vaccination reporting system, but it aims to schedule regular appointments, not opportunities to get remaining vaccine.
What options are there for people who want remaining doses?
People wishing to be added to a waiting list should contact individual providers.
Some discount medicines are approached by so-called ‘vaccine diapers’ – people who ‘hang around in the car park hoping there is an extra dose’, Briscoe said. But he said he would not propose the approach as a viable option because it would only work in very limited circumstances.
“First, there must be extra doses,” he said. “Secondly, we should have used up our entire assistance list of eligible people who could not drop by. If it was the event, and there was no one [eligible] in the store, then the person in the lot would be vaccinated. ”
Mike Tobin, spokesman for Mike Tobin, says it will also be unlikely to secure remaining vaccine.
‘In general, we are not going to give it to a man who shows up and waits if we have a patient in the hospital who we think qualifies. This is the advantage of [administering vaccine] in a clinical setting, ”Tobin said.
Is help available elsewhere?
Yes.
A Facebook group, Ohio Vaccine Hunters, provides a platform to share tips and clues for obtaining remaining doses.
And for those who need help booking regular vaccination appointments, two Northeast Ohio people – called the “Vaccine Queens” – are helping older adults find openings.