COVID-19

Unused COVID vaccines headed for expiry

The Netherlands faces a dilemma as it grapples with a surplus of COVID vaccines that are set to expire. Approximately 3.5 million doses, out of the 11 million unused vaccines, will go to waste. Western nations are struggling to find countries in need of the excess doses, as most already have their own supplies. Efforts to donate the vaccines to Nicaragua and Vietnam are in progress, but the remaining doses will likely be destroyed. This situation raises concerns about the wasted taxpayers' money spent on these now useless vaccines.

Medriva Newsroom

24 Dec 2022 03:06 EST

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The Netherlands is saddled with a large stockpile of coronavirus vaccines it can't use. This week itself about 3.5 million doses will expire, and half of them will be thrown away, according to AD.

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After the vaccine scarcity in 2020, finding a location to donate the excess vials before it expires has become the norm. However, many Western nations are having difficulty in finding locations that still require vaccines because most other countries already have their own.

According to the newspaper, the Netherlands has 11 million unused doses of coronavirus vaccines. At least 3.5 million injections will expire over the next few weeks. The vaccines have a limited shelf life and must be kept at -80 degrees Celsius or below.

The Netherlands can provide 1.7 million doses to Nicaragua and Vietnam through local embassies. The remaining 1.8 million doses are expected to be destroyed. "It's primarily vaccinations from AstraZeneca which expire at the end of May and a tiny percentage at the end of June," according to information from the Ministry of Public Health.Â

If the Netherlands is already having trouble donating vaccines, it's only going to get more difficult in the future. Tens of millions of euros in taxpayers' money were spent on these 11 million useless vaccines, which will now go waste.

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