Gov. Polis Urges FDA To Allow Coronavirus Vaccine Pooling

Gov. Jared Polis and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown sent a letter Monday that urges the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to allow the pooling of COVID-19 vaccines by granting a short-term emergency waiver for experienced medical practitioners.

Vaccine pooling is often used for other vaccines, such as the flu shot. The practice allows medical professionals to take leftover amounts of a vaccine from one vial and combine it with another vial to produce one full vaccine dose.

“We believe we must take advantage of every opportunity to protect people from the virus as well as outpace the rapid growth of COVID-19 variants," the governors' letter read. "One such opportunity is the pooling of vaccine doses.”

Neither Moderna nor Pfizer's vaccines contain preservatives, which could increase the risk of infection, the FDA said. But many pharmacy experts say the danger of cross contamination is low.

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“Pooling is a common practice, and our respective state experts believe the benefits of pooling in this case outweigh any potential risks of combining doses from multiple vials," the letter reads.

"With the use of Low Dead Space syringes and equipment, trained practitioners can get a 6th and potentially 7th dose out of the Pfizer vial. We cannot afford the waste of vaccines that our practitioners see on a daily and hourly basis, as they dispose of the 'leftover' at the bottom of so many vials. That leftover can and should be put to use saving lives."