More than 1,000 doses of vaccine were unusable after being improperly stored by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.More than 1,000 doses of vaccine were unusable after being improperly stored by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. (CBC)

Winnipeg health officials had to throw out more than 1,000 doses of the swine flu vaccine after the vaccine was improperly stored.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said during the first week of mass immunizations a batch of vaccine was stored in a freezer at a community office rather than in a refrigerator. But the authority says very little of the vaccine has been wasted since then.

Some of Canada's bigger health districts say they've thrown out about one per cent of the total vaccine they've administered because of its 24-hour shelf life.