Covid vaccine providers discarded 82.1 million doses in the U.S. from December 2020 through mid-May — just over 11 percent of all doses distributed.
Highlights
- Pharmacies, states, U.S.
- territories and federal agencies discarded 82.1 million Covid vaccine doses from December 2020 through mid-May.
- Two retail pharmacy chains, CVS and Walmart, were responsible for over a quarter of the doses thrown away in the United States in that time period.
- Five other pharmacies or dialysis centers — Health Mart, DaVita, Rite Aid, Publix and Costco — wasted fewer overall doses, but a higher share of doses than any other pharmacy or state.
- The overall amount of waste is in line with World Health Organization estimates for large vaccination campaigns.
- Less than half of fully vaccinated Americans have a booster shot.