UK doctors delivering the coronavirus vaccine say they have been told to throw away leftover doses instead of offering second jabs, The Telegraph reports.
Medics told the newspaper that doctors organising clinics to administer doses of the vaccine are sometimes left with some extra doses, but NHS England has warned them against using them on staff or other patients who have already had a first dose.
Some are thought to be disobeying this guidance, but others have reported fears that supply of the vaccine could be cancelled if they fail to comply.
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Dr Robert Morley, director of professional support at the Birmingham Local Medical Committee, described the rules as 'extremely counterproductive, nonsensical, and ludicrous'.
He explained how the short notice of the clinics can cause some patients not to attend, and the uncertainty of the vaccine supply can make it difficult to predict exactly how many doses are needed.
That means clinics often find themselves with some doses left over.
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Morley said that 'the logical thing to do would be to use it as a second dose for healthcare workers, for example, who may be there in the building,' but he thinks a 'strong decree' from NHS England that no-one should be given a second dose is being interpreted too literally by local NHS managers.
Morley said some GPs in Birmingham are taking a 'very robust' approach and arguing there is no other way than to give out the second doses, but others 'feel less secure and more threatened'.
He added that some are concerned GP contracts and vaccine funding could be withheld if they do not comply.
Dr Brian McGregor, a GP chairing the British Medical Association's Yorkshire regional committee, said NHS England had told his clinical commissioning group to throw out unused doses instead of administering the second dose.
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He added: "They control our contracts, payments, vaccine supply, regulation, and can make life unbearable."
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, currently making up a large amount of the UK's supply, must be stored at very low temperatures and can only be used for a few days after defrosting and has a lower shelf life once outside of the fridge.
Dr Julia Patterson, from Every Doctor, a group that campaigns to protect the NHS and workers, said her organisation had reports from six workplaces stating doctors 'have been told to bin 'waste' vaccine doses at the end of the day instead of giving NHS staff second doses'.
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Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the BMA's chair of council, said: "Reports of vaccination sites feeling pressured to discard unused doses of the Pfizer vaccine are extremely concerning. This is absolutely unacceptable and morally wrong. Any wasted dose denies a real person the chance to be protected from serious illness or even death.
"The BMA is already calling for health and social care workers to receive second doses as soon as possible in line with WHO guidelines, and with so many vulnerable patients still needing to be vaccinated, there should be no reason for any of the precious vaccine to be thrown out.
"NHS England needs to urgently clarify that doctors and staff have the discretion to ensure that they can make full use of any unused vaccines, rather than have any go to waste. "
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An NHS England spokesperson told LADbible: "There is absolutely no reason why vaccine should be wasted.
"Local vaccination sites should be managing their appointment lists to ensure all appointments are filled and they have a back-up list of patients and staff who can receive the vaccine at short notice."
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