Florida pharmacists say they have too many vaccine doses as demand declines

Pharmacists in Central Florida say that they have too many doses and not enough patients. They want state officials to take action to keep these vaccines from going to waste.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - The nationwide drop in demand for the COVID-19 vaccine is sparking concerns about wastefulness.

Pharmacists in Central Florida say that they have too many doses and not enough patients. They want state officials to take action to keep these vaccines from going to waste.

"The way it’s going right now… a lot of the vaccine will be wasted," Greenwood Pharmacy owner Andy Kimmel said.

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Across the state, the Florida Department of Health said that over 90,000 doses have been expired or spoiled as of June 11th because they were removed from cold storage. Health officials told FOX 35 that nearly six million vaccines in the state have actually been sent back to the federal government.

Counties have been working on giving back their unused vaccines as demand remains low and sites close. For now, Orange County health officials said that they will provide unused vaccines to other partners and events.

Watch FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.