Expired Vaccine Guidance from CDC
From the Georgia DPH and CDC
Today we received additional guidance from CDC about expiring COVID vaccine.
Please see below:
Expiring COVID-19 Vaccine
In July and August, some lots of Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J/Janssen vaccines are set to expire. In order to minimize the number of unused expired doses and manage expiring doses correctly, we encourage providers to:
• Monitor expiration dates weekly, rotate stock as needed, and follow a “first in, first out” strategy to manage inventory.
• If nearing expiration, check posted manufacturer information for the most up to date expiration/extension information for vaccine lots.
How to handle expired or expiring COVID vaccine supply:
• Upon expiration, providers who are able to safely quarantine expired doses in the appropriate storage unit environment, should:
- Quarantine doses, marked Do Not Use.
- Place vaccine in a storage unit where the risk of inadvertently administering an expired dose can be avoided
• If the provider is unable to safely quarantine expired doses, the provider should:
- Based on the latest expiration information, REMOVE expired vaccine from the storage unit IMMEDIATELY. Do not give staff opportunity to administer expired vaccine.
• If expired vaccine is inadvertently is administered, it is considered a vaccine administration error and requires remediation including a VAERS report, contacting the recipient to inform them of the error, and may or may not require revaccination based on the manufacturers’ guidance. Guidance on vaccine administration errors can be found in Appendix A of the Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Authorized in the United States.
Report Expired Vaccine
• Please promptly report any expired vaccine. This helps CDC and DPH accurately monitor the amount of vaccine in the field. Keep in mind that there are no negative consequences for reporting waste, and it will not negatively impact future vaccine shipments. CDC recognizes that unused expired vaccine is a normal part of any vaccination program, especially one of this scope and size.
