Alberta pharmacist frustrated at having to throw out unused COVID-19 vaccine

An Alberta pharmacist says he had to throw out 120 doses of expired Moderna COVID-19 vaccine last week — and that more doses are being wasted every day. 

Each vial of Moderna has 14 doses, and once opened, the entire bottle has to be used within 24 hours, Chris Aingworth told CBC News.

He says demand has dropped significantly at his pharmacy in Sundre, 120 kilometres north of Calgary, with only two or three people a day getting the shot. 

"We'll open up the vial, give the shot and then just hope that more people come in so that we can use up the excess. The last few days, I've had to waste, like, 12 doses each day, which is criminal, in my opinion," he said.

"You know, you've got countries around the world that could really do with the vaccine. And here we are, throwing the stuff away."

Aingworth says it would help if the province allowed pharmacists to order less than the current minimum batch of 140 doses. 

According to the last provincial update, Alberta has 1.28 million doses of unused vaccine.

In an email, a spokesperson with Alberta Health said the minimum order was set at a single carton of vials to ensure the "safest, most efficient distribution of vaccine to pharmacies."

"Shipping smaller amounts would require pharmacy wholesale distributors to open, repackage and relabel vials of vaccine, and this additional handling introduces risk in the supply chain," Lisa Glover said.

"However, distribution of smaller amounts of vaccine to pharmacies is being discussed with our distributors as the demands for vaccine across the province are changing. As always, the safety and efficacy of our available vaccine supply will be paramount."

The Public Health Agency of Canada says it is working on options for leftover doses, which includes potential donations to other countries.