Ever since the first covid-19 vaccine was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), many vaccination centers have been established to carry out mass vaccination. To date, up to 80% of Malaysia’s population has already been vaccinated [1]. 60.6% of those vaccinated received the Pfizer vaccine, 30.8% received Sinovac, 8.2% received the AstraZeneca, and only 0.3% of them got vaccinated via the Cansino vaccine. While thousands of people walk in and out of vaccination centers or private clinics to receive their jab, have you ever wondered how vaccine vials and packaging are disposed of? We will discuss the proper disposal of used Covid-19 vaccine vials and some strategies to reduce wastage of the vaccine.
The vaccines have come a long way prior to being injected into one’s deltoid muscle. They have to go through the manufacturing process, packaging, certification, and transportation, before finally arriving at a healthcare facility nearest to us for trained personnel to administer it. After administration, it then has to go through the collection, treatment, transportation, and finally disposal. WHO published a standard operating procedure (SOP) for waste management of used COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the used vaccine vials are disposed of safely [2].
Collection
The used vaccine vials should be collected together, separate from other waste such as the packaging or needles. As there might be some fluid left in the vials, they should be kept in a leak proof container or bag. Extra caution has to be taken with the needle, and they should always be in the sharps bin right after use. Other materials such as the alcohol swabs and cotton should be stored in the clinical waste bin prior to disposal. For logistic purposes, some vaccination centers have to calculate and record the number of vaccine vials used, and see if it tally with the number of people who received the vaccine. After collection, these waste should be stored appropriately to avoid any misuse of the materials.
Storage
The collected empty vials and used needles should be stored appropriately. It should be away from the sun to prevent disintegration of the packaging, never exposed to open air to avoid rain and water, protected from pests and rodents, away from food or water sources, and away from other potential toxic substances that might interact with the vaccine.
Treatment of the vaccine vials
The vaccine vials are commonly disinfected with chlorine. Handlers of this process should take all necessary precautions while performing the task. They should wear heavy duty gloves before putting the vials into 0.5% chlorine solution. THe vials should be completely submerged in the solution for half an hour. If an autoclave is available, this can be opted for sterilization.
Final disposal
The fate of these used vaccine vials and needles will be incineration. Local government guidelines will have separate SOP for this process.
Vaccine wastage
A vaccine is wasted when there is inadequate amount of the substance in the vial to be administered to someone, or when the vaccine has expired or been out in room temperature for a prolonged period of time. All vaccines require tight temperature control, and if the vaccine has been out in room temperature for too long, the manufacturer will be able to tell if the vaccine is still viable. Each covid-19 vaccine has a different shelf life once it is out of the refrigerator. These vaccines also claim to have no preservatives, so their expiry dates are normally within a few months. Once expired, the vaccines cannot be used [3].
The covid-19 vaccines require proper handling as it is deemed to be infectious materials. Even after they have fulfilled its job after being administered into someone, the vials and packaging have to be properly disposed of.
