“How many Vaccine doses have had to be discarded and thus wasted?”, is a question the VONNEWSLINE posed to the National COVID-19 Task Force. 

This comes considering that a vial of Vaccine contains ten doses and once opened, it must be used within a specified time. 

Here is Medical Chief of Staff at the JNF General Hospital, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, responding to the question:

Dr. Cameron Wilkinson. 

There is data supporting stability of Vaccine doses after withdrawal into a syringe for up to 6 hours at room temperature.

However, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI) recommends that, as much as possible, pre-drawn doses be used within an hour in order to minimize any remote potential risk of infection, according to health.nsw.gov.au.