The district blames the incident for human error after a vaccination case at a mobile unit was accidentally turned off, CNN affiliate WPBF reported. Darcy Davis, chief executive of the health care district, said according to WPBF the vaccination that had been compromised had been destroyed.
In a statement, dr. Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said it was “a tragedy that even one dose of this critical resource would be wasted and not used to save Covid-19’s lives.”
Rivkees said he hopes the situation will be addressed and rectified immediately to ensure Palm Beach County does not allow more doses to go to waste.
In the US, nearly 34 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered, with more than 27 million people receiving at least one dose – or just over 8% of the population. About 6.4 million people received both doses, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 70% to 85% of the American population must be fully vaccinated before the country can begin to return to a sense of normalcy, said Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN Tuesday night.
As part of the Palm Beach County audit, the Department of Health is asking the district to keep a complete record of all vaccine-related equipment and procedures it has in place.
The Florida Department of Health has requested that the audit be completed by February 12 – and that all findings and corrective action be reported to the state immediately thereafter, according to a Wednesday statement.