Hundreds of doses of H1N1 vaccine discarded in Canada due to 24-hour shelf life
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2 hours, 16 minutes ago
By Alison Auld, The Canadian Press
HALIFAX, N.S. - Some health authorities across the country have tossed out hundreds of doses of the swine flu vaccine because of miscalculations over how many of the time-sensitive dosages are needed at community clinics.
Officials at some of the larger health districts, including Toronto and Halifax, say they have thrown out about one per cent of the total vaccine they've administered because of the dosages' 24-hour shelf life.
In Toronto, that means close to 500 doses of the adjuvanted vaccine have been disposed of even as people remain shut out of the priority groups entitled to receive the shot.
"We reconstitute as much vaccine as we think we're going to need, but sometimes our numbers are a wee bit off," said Ameeta Mathur, manager of the vaccine program for Toronto Public Health.
"Once it's in the syringe from the vial and it's not used, we have to dispose of it."
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