Wasting vaccines

Since the Omicron variant of Covid-19 was detected, the stark global inequities that have characterised this pandemic have once again come to the forefront. From discriminatory travel bans to limited access to vaccines, African countries are bearing the burden of this inequity.

Almost one year after vaccine rollout began, donations of Covid-19 vaccine doses by wealthy countries that no longer need them are getting ramped up. But many of the donations are due to expire shortly. This leaves African countries to reluctantly reject these much-needed vaccines or try to increase vaccine uptake rapidly, despite the challenges that may entail and the pressure it puts on healthcare systems that are already stretched to the limit.

The African Union, through its African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), and the World Health Organization, through its COVAX scheme, have coordinated the procurement and delivery of the majority of vaccines in African countries. In late November, they published a joint statement highlighting that most of the donated vaccines are being provided with short shelf life and little notice.

Barely two weeks after this statement, the government of Nigeria announced that the country had to burn an unspecified number of doses that had expired. This is despite the fact that only about four million people in Nigeria’s vast population of 200 million are fully vaccinated. This challenge is not unique to Nigeria. Malawi and South Sudan have also had to destroy expired Covid-19 vaccine doses. Richer countries like the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada have also reported destroying out-of-date vaccines.

Apart from the economic cost of destroying vaccines which could go up to millions of dollars, there is a ripple effect on vaccine confidence. There are increasing concerns being expressed in Nigeria about getting vaccines that are expired and assumed less effective – a concern Nigerian Health Minister Osagie Ehanire has had to address publicly. With low rates of Covid-19 vaccination, inequity in access to doses, risk of emerging variants and more, the challenge of short shelf life doses must be treated as an emergency, and all possible solutions explored.

The responsibility to solve this problem lies with different groups, including countries donating doses, vaccine manufacturers, vaccine delivery mechanisms such as COVAX, national health authorities, community leaders and individuals.

Within one week of the detection of the Omicron variant, several vaccine manufacturers published statements about their capacity to develop vaccines to respond to this new variant. While this is welcome, I would urge them to direct a fraction of their research and development efforts towards generating the evidence and stability data that can be used to extend the shelf life of vaccine doses. By doing this, vaccines can be shipped with additional buffer time to cover a range of logistical and practical challenges – and ultimately allow more people to be vaccinated.

Excerpt: ‘Too many COVID-19 vaccine doses are being wasted’

Courtesy: Aljazeera.com