MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – With low demand for COVID-19 vaccinations in Alabama, the state saw more than 65,000 doses wasted because health providers couldn’t find people to take them before they expired, a state official said.
“All in all, we’ve counted 65,511 doses that have gone out of date,” State Health Officer Scott Harris told reporters this week.
“Sixty-five thousand doses have been wasted. That’s extremely unfortunate when we have such a low vaccination rate and of course, there are so many people in the world that still don’t have access to vaccine.”
The doses that expired represent less than 1.5% of the more than 5 million coronavirus vaccines doses that Alabama has received. Still, Harris said it is tragic to lose the potentially life-saving allotments.
Alabama is one of the least vaccinated states in the country. The state ranks last – at 34% – for the percentage of people fully vaccinated. In Alabama, 44% of people have received at least one dose of vaccine, a figure that ranks the state fifth from last.