Mississippi has wasted more than 400,000 doses of the COVID vaccine

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Mississippi has wasted more than 400,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers, as of May 20, 2022, Mississippi had 456,952 doses wasted, or around 15% of the state’s total.

“This includes doses expired, spilled, dropped, or unused doses in a vial as reported into our system by any vaccine provider, including hospitals, pharmacies, providers and MSDH clinics,” an email from the Mississippi State Department of Health read.

The information follows a recent report from NBC News that discovered the United States wasted over 82 million COVID vaccine doses from December 2020 through mid-May, 11 percent of the doses the federal government distributed.

NBC News also learned that two states, Oklahoma and Alaska, discarded more than a quarter of their doses.

“Unlike most other immunizations in the U.S., the coronavirus vaccines come in multidose vials, which means all the doses must be used within hours once the vials are opened — or discarded,” the news outlet explained.

MSDH did ask to make clear, however, that no one in Mississippi is missing out on getting the vaccine due to these wasted doses.

The vaccine is readily available to all who want it.

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