Nearly 200,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have gone to waste in Washington state since distribution began.
As of Sept. 1, 184,621 doses have been reported as wasted by providers, according to the Department of Health (DOH). Another 12,067 doses have been returned, which the Centers for Disease Control considers as waste.
The waste is approximately 3% of the total vaccines distributed, according to the DOH.
"It is important providers are vaccinating every single person who wants a COVID-19 vaccine. Which means that sometimes only a couple doses are drawn from a vial and the rest go to waste if they cannot be used in time," a statement from the DOH reads.
The DOH noted more providers are reporting waste, which is why those numbers have increased.
The COVID-19 vaccine is distributed in multi-dose vials. Once the vial is punctured, the vials must be used within a certain amount of time: 12 hours for Moderna, six hours for Pfizer and two hours at room temperature for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Though there's a risk of waste after a vial is punctured, the DOH recommends providers should "not miss any opportunities" to vaccinate people, even if it means not having enough people to use every dose in the vial.
The issue of vaccine waste was top of mind as demand for it exceeded availability. Now, supply has increased while demand, at least in some areas, has dwindled.
However, vaccinations appear to be on the rise again over fears of the delta variant. Over the last full week of August, the DOH reported the vaccination rate was 21% higher than the previous week and 34% higher compared to early August.
Additionally, the deadline for those required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is right around the corner. State employees, health care workers, and educators must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 to keep their jobs, meaning they need to receive their final dose of the vaccine by Oct. 4.