SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, fewer and fewer people are rolling up their sleeves for vaccines statewide and across the nation.
It's creating a giant question mark over what to do with the remaining excess vaccine supply.
Two years in the pandemic, demand for the COVID-19 vaccine is plummeting in the United States.
Tracking by the CDC shows the daily count of total doses administered nearing a low not seen since the start of the pandemic.
"I think what essentially happened was that so many people saw omicron in the united states and what that means is the hospitalizations came down not just in places with high vaccinations but in places with high natural immunity. So I think at this point people were like well I don't need to get vaccinated I've already seen omicron," said Dr. Monica Gandhi who is a UCSF infectious disease doctor.
Gandhi says for those still on the fence about getting the shot.
"Even just one vaccine dose after having natural infection really does extend your immunity make it stronger so I would encourage just one dose for anyone who has had a natural infection," she said.
And with the extra vaccine stockpile, state health departments are tracking millions of doses going to waste.
The California Department of Public Health says providers are asked to keep doses until they expire before properly disposing of them.
"I think the challenge is doing a better job both messaging the importance of vaccination," Dr. Michael Wasserman of the California Vaccine Advisory Committee said.
He is still concerned about vulnerable groups and says the remaining vaccine could be put to good use in California and other parts of the country.
"We still have to vaccinate poor communities of color that are not fully vaccinated and that continue to have higher degrees of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID," Wasserman said.
Via Coronavirus | KRON4 https://www.kron4.com
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