OPTIMIZING COVID-19 VACCINE USAGE

As the worldwide vaccination, it is imperative to minimize vaccine wastage by effectively using all doses available. Vaccine wastage can occur at multiple points during the vaccination process, but it is mainly because the device dead space and the filling process technique. However, there are no studies discussing the waste volume effect of COVID-19 vaccines in clinical practice. There is an increasing COVID-19 vaccine demand that we estimate up to several billion dual doses. The objective of this study was to assess the number of 0.3mL doses obtained from a multiple-dose vial using 1ml and 3ml syringes with different type of needles replicating the first COVID-19 vaccination protocol.

Our results suggest that it is possible to obtain six or seven doses from each vial instead five. We provide evidence to optimize between 20% and 40% additional vaccine doses per vial if the current 5-dose vials are used, making scarce supplies go further.

It is our duty, as researchers, to ensure the efficacy and efficiency of the worldwide COVID-19 vaccination process. However, if standard syringes-needles and technique are used, there may not be sufficient volume to draw extra doses from a single vial.