NEW HAVEN, Conn. — As Connecticut has administered nearly 1.5 million total doses of COVID vaccines, the state Department of Public Health (DPH) reports that a total of only 10 doses have been wasted at vaccination sites statewide
Yale doctors say it's all about planning.
"I think many large healthcare systems have developed strategies where they are able to call sort of the next in line," said Dr. Manisha Juthani, Associate Professor of Medicine (infectious Diseases) and Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) for the Yale School of Medicine.
All of the major hospital systems, most local health departments, and even pharmacy chains that offer vaccines closely monitor their vaccine waiting lists.
"They were able to go to people scheduled on other dates to see if they are able to come sooner so that vaccines don’t go to waste," Juthani said.
"So, once we are kind of on the last vial or second to last vial, we see how many we think will be left and then we start calling people," said Dr. Brita Roy, the Director of Population Health with Yale Medicine.
The wait-listed people that they call are those currently eligible to receive a vaccination but are folks who don’t yet have an appointment.
"We give them a call and see if they’re willing to come in at the end of the day to get a dose," Roy said.
And the people called live or work within a 15-to-20-minute drive of where that clinic was held.
Another option, for those having difficulty securing an appointment, is signing up on a free website called Dr. B, which is a standby list for COVID vaccines, that requires you to provide your telephone number, name, email, zip code, date of the birth, profession, and health conditions.
DPH says the 10 vaccine doses wasted is a result of things like needle sticks when preparing the vials or even vial breakage. Doses lost to refrigeration are in another category.
Yale-New Haven Health has experienced no wasted doses.
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