While some countries struggle to get more vaccines, others wonder what to do with the doses they asked for but are no longer going to use, due to concerns about their safety.
Various Countries have restricted the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccines to younger age groups due to a very small risk of blood clots.
Denmark has stopped distributing A ztraZeneca entirely , resulting in a Wave of interest in the doses that will not be used in that country.
The Czech Republic offered to buy “all AstraZeneca vaccines from Denmark”. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania also expressed their interest.
Why is this happening?
There is growing concern about rare, and sometimes fatal, cases of thrombi, especially in younger people. However, health regulators around the world insist that the general benefits of the vaccine in preventing covid – 19 outweigh the risks of side effects.
According to figures from the UK drug regulator, if to 10 millions of people are given the AstraZeneca vaccine, hopefully see 40 of these clots. Approximately 10 people would die, yielding a one in one chance one million.
That is roughly the same risk of being killed in the next month or dying in a traffic accident while traveling on 400 km.
However, the Danish health authority made the decision to suspend the use of the vaccine by AstraZeneca. He explained that he had other vaccines available, that the epidemic was under control in the country, and that he was acting with caution in response to a “known risk of serious adverse effects.”
The decision means that the 2.4 million will be withdrawn from circulation doses of unused A straZenaca that Denmark had agreed to purchase.
A link between the Janssen vaccine and the appearance of rare blood clots.
Until safety checks are completed, these vaccines the use of these vaccines was suspended in the USA, which had requested 100 million doses.
The use of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine was also suspended in South Africa, where it had been chosen from After studies showed it provided greater protection against the local variant of covid – 19.
AstraZeneca, which is less effective against this variant, had already lost favor in South Africa, which also resulted in unused vaccines.
To avoid waste, South Africa sold one million doses of AstraZeneca for distribution in 14 African countries.
Can these vaccines be used elsewhere?
In theory, yes. Countries are willing to sell or donate vaccines they no longer need.
Last Thursday, the director for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO), Hans Kluge, suggested that Denmark was trying to do just that.
“I understand that the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready, or is already looking for options, to share AstraZeneca vaccines with poorer countries,” Kluge said in a session informative.
And some of Denmark’s neighbors offered to get hold of l a s dosi s unwanted to s .
“We have fewer vaccines than people willing to get vaccinated,” said the first Lithuanian Minister Ingrida Simonyte. “Therefore, Lithuania has expressed its willingness to receive as many doses of AstraZeneca as Denmark is willing to share.”
In a tweet, Czech Interior Minister Jan Hamacek said that he had given instructions to a diplomat to declare the country’s interest in “purchasing all AstraZeneca vaccines from Denmark.”
Denmark’s response is unclear: their government has yet to comment.
Meanwhile, those vaccines will be kept in storage . Both the AstraZenaca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have the advantage that they can be stored at refrigerator temperature, which makes them easier to transport than the Pfizer vaccine, which must be stored at – 70 degrees.
However, vaccines have an expiration date , which varies by vaccine developer.
How many vaccines are left unused?
There is no global record, but regional data provide an overview. Denmark, for example, had received 202. 920 doses of AstraZeneca up to 15 April, as shown by figures from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDP).
Of them were administered 150. 671 doses and remained 52. 249 without using.
The picture is similar across Europe, where several countries have limited the AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines to older people.
The data of the Centr US Disease Control and Prevention tests show that many states have excess doses .
More than 20% of vaccines delivered have not yet been administered in states like Alabama (37%), Alaska (35%), Vermont (27%) and North Carolina (24%).
Meanwhile, in West Virginia, we was administering almost his entire vaccine allowance, now more than a quarter of his doses are unused, an average of 350. 000 that are left over every day, according to Bloomberg.
Health experts say unused capacity suggests some areas may be running out no residents willing to be vaccinated .
Is there a plan to share the remaining vaccines?
Yes, there is. It is called Covax.
It is an international scheme that aims to ensure that vaccines are shared fairly among all nations, rich and poor. It is led by WHO and involves the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
By the end of 2021, Covax expects to deliver more than 2. 000 million doses in 190 countries.
Part of this scheme involves redistributing surplus vaccine donations in rich countries to poor ones.
For example, United Kingdom, you have bought about 450 million dosi s, it has pledged to donate most of its “surplus” supply to poorer countries. Other richer countries have made similar gestures of solidarity.
However, they have faced criticism because, until now, none have explained exactly when they will have excess doses and how many they intend to donate.
At least For the moment, rich countries are focusing on vaccinating their own populations , while providing funding for the Covax program.
How and when could surplus vaccines be shared?
In a few words, we don’t know yet.
The BBC asked GAVI if it had a record of how many surplus vaccines countries had promised Covax; This was his answer:
“Given the context of limited short-term supply, donated doses from oversupplied countries and allocated equitably through Covax will be an important part of the solution. for fast and equitable access globally. We are talking to several high-income economies about sharing their surplus doses and we hope to announce our first deals soon. ”
Therefore, there are agreements to share surplus vaccines, but there is no concrete information yet on who receives what, which is frustrating for many.
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