Manitoba tossed out COVID-19 vaccine doses as province remains under lockdown

Manitoba had to toss out some of its doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine last week during the start of the immunization campaign, as the province remains under the harshest lockdown in the country until at least January 8.

The province's deputy chief public health officer Jazz Atwal downplayed the news, saying that only seven doses were tossed out. He added "we weren’t anticipating on wasting doses," according to CTV News.

A spokesperson for the province said that the doses had to be tossed because people did not show up to their appointments. "In rare instances, individuals may have cancelled their appointment or decided they need further guidance from their health-care provider about receiving the vaccine, after the on-site discussion with the nurse."

The Pfizer vaccine requires rigorous handling; it must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius and must be administered shortly after being prepared for use. The government added that “If you aren’t able to provide it in a short period of time, the vaccine’s only good for six hours once it’s reconstituted and that’s at room temperature setting so that’s one variable.”

However, front-line workers are not happy with the reasoning from the Manitoba government. Doctors Manitoba, a group representing over 3,000 physicians in the province, said in a statement that "Many physicians were not able to get through to book the first set of immunization appointments, so hearing some vaccine was wasted only adds to their frustration."

Frustrations are also felt by the residents of Manitoba, who have been subject to the harshest lockdown in the country since November 12. The lockdown has shut all non-essential retail, gyms, churches, and banned private gatherings, while allowing weed stores to stay opened.

The Manitoba government has said it is working to make sure vaccine doses are no longer wasted.