Over 82 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine distributed across the US have gone to waste since the outbreak began, a new report reveals.

Vaccine waste has been a persistent issue during the pandemic, raising concerns about the efficacy of the vaccine rollout.

The latest figures represent a significant increase since late February when approximately 65 million doses were estimated to have been wasted, AP reported.

Read more: Democrats infuriated by Biden's COVID-19 strategy

What does this mean?

The new 82 million estimate means that between December 2020 and mid-May, over 11% of the doses distributed by the federal government have been binned, according to NBC News.

The network added that other pharmacies, most notably Rite Aid and Costco, and dialysis centers each wasted more than a quarter of the doses they received.

Oklahoma discarded approximately 28% of the doses received, while Alaska discarded nearly 27% of the doses received.

The World Health Organization predicts that large vaccination campaigns utilizing multidose vials will result in significant waste.

The UN agency has constantly raised concerns regarding what it considers a moral scandal from rich countries that are stockpiling vaccines while developing countries struggle to immunize the most vulnerable populations.

It is worth noting that less than half of fully vaccinated adults in the United States have received their first booster shot, according to CDC data.

Read more: US COVID-19 vaccines 'not well-matched' to dominant circulating variant: FDA