Muskogee Pharmacy Works To Ensure No COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Wasted

Some Oklahoma pharmacies are putting in the extra effort to get people to show up for their vaccines. Pharmacists said they have too many doses and not enough people to use the supply.

Chris Schiller, a pharmacist at Economy pharmacy in Muskogee, said they have that unique problem days with too many Pfizer doses and not enough people scheduling appointments.

"It's a delicate balancing act to get enough appointments in here and make sure we get enough people before the vaccines goes bad," Schiller said. 

Schiller doesn't think the decline is from people not wanting the vaccine, but from confusion with the state's system. 

"I think the confusion is people don't think that they qualify or not. The phases are kind of confusing, so people think 'oh well, we're just not qualified' and that's not always true," Schiller said. 

Schiller said anyone 65 and older can come in and make an appointment, along with teachers, essential employees who are unable to social distance, and anyone with a pre-existing condition. 

Linda Butcher said she was confused with the system but said Economy's system was easier to navigate and got her in sooner.

"I couldn't make an appointment for the longest. It was frustrating at first, but once I saw that Economy had the vaccines, I knew it would be streamlined," Butcher said. 

Schiller said the pharmacy has posted on social media, put ads in newspapers and even created a "no waste list" of people to call last minute. Other pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS say they're doing the same thing. 

Monica Prinzing with CVS Pharmacies said in a statement to News on 6: 

"We follow all CDC and manufacturer guidelines with regard to the proper storage and administration of each COVID-19 vaccine to help ensure that vaccine is not wasted. Our online scheduling tool also helps to ensure that appointments are matched to the available vaccine supply. In the event of unused doses in our pharmacies, our pharmacy teams will evaluate how to most efficiently vaccinate eligible individuals with remaining doses. This includes outreaching to eligible patients in their communities, as our pharmacies maintain patient profiles with information that can help identify who is eligible to be vaccinated."

Schiller said they have only thrown away four doses out of the thousands they have been given and he wants to keep it that way.

"My goal is to get the Muskogee area as vaccinated as much as possible, especially since we have them available," Schiller said.

For Economy, you can sign up for an appointment online if you qualify for the first three phases. You can schedule that appointment here.