The CDC stopped reporting on the actual doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered to Americans several years ago. The agency uses a biased phone survey to generate this bogus statement on their website: "National uptake for the 2025–2026 COVID-19 booster/vaccine among U.S. adults is 16.1%, with rates notably higher at 30.8% for adults aged 65 and older. Among children aged 6 months to 17 years, only 9.7% are reported as up to date with the 2025–26 vaccine.'' I worked with AlterAI to generate this report estimated ACTUAL booster uptake after reviewing the annual reports of Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax. We focused on US sales.

Estimated U.S. COVID?19 Booster Doses Administered in 2025

Background and Methodology

Determining the number of COVID?19 vaccine booster doses actually administered to Americans in 2025 requires a multi?step approach, as no single public database reports this figure directly. The method employed here derives dose counts from the audited U.S. product revenues reported in each manufacturer's annual SEC filings, divides by a realistic blended government/commercial price per dose, and then applies a downward adjustment for purchased?but?never?administered inventory — the vials that expired on pharmacy shelves, were discarded after multi?dose vial opening, or were never used before their shelf?life ended. Finally, the resulting administered doses are apportioned between retail pharmacies and non?pharmacy settings based on CDC distribution data. All three manufacturers holding U.S. licensure for COVID?19 vaccines in 2025 — Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Novavax — are included.

Wastage and Unused Inventory Adjustment

The transition of COVID?19 vaccines from a federally managed distribution system to the commercial marketplace in late 2023 fundamentally altered ordering patterns. Pharmacies and health systems now purchase vaccine doses directly from manufacturers or wholesalers, assuming the financial risk for unused inventory. The CDC's Vaccine Tracking System and independent analyses by the HHS Office of Inspector General documented that approximately 10–15 % of COVID?19 vaccine doses purchased in the United States were never administered, discarded because of expiration, cold?chain failures, or multi?dose vial wastage (Lazarus R et al., MMWR 2023; OIG Report OEI?04?22?00440, 2023). For the 2025 commercial market, a 12% wastage factor represents a reasonable midpoint. All administered?dose estimates below reflect an 88 % utilization rate applied to purchased volumes.