Despite the expiry of almost 60,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday (September 30), Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton is advising citizens due their second dose of the jab that there is no need to worry as there are more than enough vaccines available.
The minister’s comments followed reports that citizens who had turned up to vaccination centres days before their due date to make use of the expiring doses were reportedly turned away.
Speaking during Thursday evening’s COVID Conversations, Tufton said: “The clinical guideline for administering the vaccines to get the maximum effect is within 48 hours of the due date on the card. So if you come four days before, seven days before, then the clinician will advise you to come close to the point of the due date.”
While advising that the ministry would not be utilising the vaccines which expired as of 11:59 pm on Thursday, the health minister noted that there still remain over 390, 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine available in-country for persons who are due their second jab or want their first shot.
He explained that the approximately 60,000 doses of expired vaccines are the remainder of 300,000 UK-donated Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines which arrived on island just two months short of the end of their shelf life.
“We received the vaccines at the end of July with a two-month period for use,” said Tufton.
“Normally these vaccines would have a six-month shelf life, but we got it four months into its usable shelf life. Our intention was to get take-up of all 300,000 doses; we have gotten up to 240,000.”
Relaying that the health ministry’s policy is not to administer expired doses, Tufton stated: “It was always the possibility that we would have not used up what was given during the period of time we were given to dispose of the amounts.”
Given this, he assured citizens that no individual who turned up to a vaccination centre on Friday or beyond would be given an expired vaccine as all the remaining doses of the UK batch would be properly disposed of.
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