3636 Covid vaccines wasted in Gauteng’s flagging vaccine drive
16 November 2021
Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi has disclosed that 191 Pfizer vials and 498 J&J vials of Covid-19 vaccine have been wasted, which amounts to 3636 doses in total as there are 6 doses in a Pfizer vial and 5 doses in a J&J vial.
Mokgethi was replying today to my questions for oral reply in the Gauteng Legislature.
According to Mokgethi, the wasted doses occurred because vials are sometimes opened and people are not available to use all the doses, and power failures led to some vials being spoiled. Some vaccines also expired.
While it is disappointing that vaccines are wasted for various reasons, the larger problem is Gauteng’s flagging vaccine programme which lags other provinces.