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More than 10,000 vaccine doses unusable, ODH says

The agency considers vaccine doses unusable under certain circumstances, such as temperature regulation and broken vials.
Credit: AP
Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine are seen at a vaccination site at the Corsi Houses, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday, Jan. 21, that the city will run out of first doses of COVID-19 vaccine sometime Thursday without fresh supplies. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Health reported 10,128 vaccine doses were deemed unusable, as of May 2, since vaccinations began in December.

The agency said it tracks vaccine doses as unusable, not wasted, when reported by state providers, according to spokesperson Alicia Shoults.

The department considers vaccine doses unusable under certain circumstances:
- Temperature of the vaccine being out of the acceptable range
- Accidents, such as a vial breaking
- Damage or inappropriate temperature during transit to the provider
- Expiration date

As of May 2, more than 7 million doses have been administered in Ohio.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is stored in freezing cold temperatures while the Moderna vaccine can be stored in a freezer or refrigerator and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine can be stored in a refrigerator.

The Ohio Department of Health offers guidance to vaccine providers to minimize COVID-19 vaccine wastage, which includes estimating doses and planning vaccinations.

The agency recommends providers utilize new approaches to make vaccine readily available to the people in their communities.

CVS and Walgreens are reported to have not been able to use a large amount of vaccine doses. Both are federal providers. ODH said its list shows providers receiving doses through the state.

Below is a list of the providers and how many doses were not useable as of May 2, 2021, as provided by the Ohio Department of Health.

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