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Pfizer s vaccine vials seem to hold extra doses, a surprise that could mean the US has a bigger vaccine supply than it planned
Pfizer s vaccine vials seem to hold extra doses, a surprise that could mean the US has a bigger vaccine supply than it planned
Aria BendixDec 17, 2020, 13:24 IST
MARK LENNIHAN/POOL/AFP/Getty
US pharmacists are discovering that there may be an extra dose or two in each vial of
Pfizer s
The vials are said to contain five doses, but many pharmacists found they could squeeze out a sixth or seventh. Doses per vial can vary depending on the types of needles and syringes used.
Pfizer Vaccine Vials May Come with Extra Doses; FDA Advises on Usage
The first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine have been going out to major hospitals all week, but there’s not nearly enough to go around. Some facilities received just 975 doses during the first round with workforces of over 10,000 employees. The company says it will increase the number of shipments week after week, but until then, some healthcare workers will just have to wait for their doses.
However, there is a bit of good news. The FDA issued a statement late last night confirming that the vials containing the Pfizer vaccine come with additional doses, which could increase the nation’s supply by up to 40%. If you’re waiting for your first dose of the drug, you may not have to wait as long as you thought.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
With the Covid-19 vaccine in short supply, hospital pharmacists found themselves in the unexpected position of throwing away one in every six doses of the first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines distributed this week in the United States.
The confusion came over labeling: The vaccine comes in vials labeled as containing enough for five doses. But pharmacists discovered that, after thawing and mixing the contents with a diluent, each vial contained enough vaccine for six doses. Without explicit approval from the manufacturer, that final dose had to be discarded.
“It was overtly clear early on there’s some extra volume,” said Russell Findlay, pharmacy manager at University of Utah Health. His colleagues called Pfizer on Tuesday to ask if they could use the extra dose, said Findlay, but the company wouldn’t give a definitive answer.
Tight blood pressure control can cut memory loss, study finds
(KYMA, KECY/NBC News) -Lowering blood pressure to recommended levels can prevent dementia and the memory and thinking problems that often show up first, researchers reported Wednesday.
People whose top blood pressure reading was taken down to 120 were 19 percent less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment, the loss of memory and brain processing power that usually precedes Alzheimer’s, the study found. And they were 15 percent less likely to eventually develop cognitive decline and dementia.
“This is really exciting,” said Heather Snyder, senior director of medical operations for the Alzheimer’s Association. The results were presented at the annual meeting of the association in Chicago.
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