By Sue-Ann Wayow
ALMOST 50,000 expired doses of the Covid-19 Pfizer adult vaccines are to be destroyed.
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said that out of the latest tranche of 75,000 Pfizer vaccines received from the US, 27,000 were administered.
He was speaking at the Ministry of Health’s virtual Covid-19 update on Wednesday.
Deyalsingh said the vaccines would be incinerated. It means that 48,000 unused vaccines expired on June 30.
He also said since that batch of Pfizer vaccines expired, that also contributed to the decline in the vaccinated population not getting a booster shot.
The minister reminded the public that persons can still get boosted with either the Sinopharm vaccine or Johnson and Johnson.
Low vaccination daily rate
Deyalsingh also lamented the low vaccination daily rate.
He said up until June 30, there were still reports of several hundred persons being vaccinated with either a first, second or third dose daily.
However, Deyalsingh said, “We are now down to a total of first doses 47 – a grand total of 47, and yesterday, first doses and booster- a total of 135. That tells you how things have gone since the booster programme for Pfizer ended.”
In May, Deyalsingh said there are 51,722 doses of Pfizer left which would have expired at the end of June and from June 15, all first dose shots of Pfizer ceased so as to allow persons to receive second shots and boosters.
Currently, there were Sinopharm and J&J vaccines available for people to be fully vaccinated and also get boosters.
Pfizer paediatric vaccines are set to expire in October.
