Lawrence, KS – According to the statement, the local vaccine distributors (LMH Health, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health and Heartland Community Health Center) said that if doses remained at the end of a clinic, their strategy was to contact Phase 1 or Phase 2 candidates who have yet to be vaccinated.
The last appointments of the day at the hospital, team members draw up doses on demand, rather than in advance. If there are still unused doses at the conclusion of a clinic, the team will contact Phase 1 candidates who have not been vaccinated or Phase 2 patients who are scheduled to receive vaccines in subsequent days.
Ensuring no doses go unused is especially important because of the short shelf-life of COVID-19 vaccines. Once vials of the vaccine are pulled out of the freezers, they cannot be put back in.
They can be refrigerated. The Pfizer vaccine is good for five days in a refrigerator, and the Moderna vaccine is good for 30 days.
That is only if the vials have not been punctured. Once punctured, both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are good for only six hours. Vials of the Pfizer vaccine typically include six doses, although it can vary from five to seven. Vials of the Moderna vaccine include 10 doses.