Pfizer to Ship Smaller Packages of COVID-19 Vaccine to Cut Waste, Boost Uptake

FRIDAY, Sept. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Smaller packages of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine that could be available this fall might improve vaccine access and reduce the number of wasted doses, government documents show.

The Pfizer vaccine has been available in two packages, one with 450 doses and another with 1,170, but the vaccine's storage requirements make it difficult for smaller facilities to store large amounts of the vaccine without wasting doses, CBS News reported.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document obtained by CBS News says smaller packages of the vaccine may be available by October, with the agency telling its immunization partners to "stay tuned for more details."

The CDC did not respond to a request for comment, but Pfizer confirmed it is working on smaller packages of its vaccine. The reduced package size might make it possible to ship vaccines directly to doctors' offices, Marcus Plescia, M.D., chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Officers, told CBS News.

"We've seen over and over again, people will go and talk to their doctor and they'll be determined they're not going to be vaccinated, then talk to their doctor and they change their mind," Plescia said. "This is the place we feel like we can get a lot of people to change their mind who aren't going to change their mind with the public messaging we're doing and other things."

CBS News Article