60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines that were shipped into the country by the African Union, MTN and CDC have expired, the ministry of health has confirmed

“We received 60,000 doses [and when they reached here], we later discovered that the life sale of the vaccine was remaining 14 days. So we immediately started engaging because we were looking at the capacity of 60,000 [which] we might not be able to finish,” COVID-19 Incident Manager Dr Richard Lako said.

Dr Lako emphasised that although the vaccines were already in the country, they are not going to be used.

“This vaccine is not going to be used because of the policy for drug and food authority which normally doesn’t accept anything to be used with shorter life. So now the ministry of health is now engaging the African Union and MTN with regard to that effect,” he said.

Dr Lako added that the current inoculation exercise involves the use of COVAX vaccines which expire in July.

“So what we are using now is the 132,000 and that is what we have started using and we hope we will be able to use them all,” he said.

He said the vaccines that are brought in the country are produced in different batches

“The batch that came through African Union and MTN was produced before the vaccine that was brought by the ministry of health and WHO.

“The one we are getting is direct from COVAX facility,’’ he said,  adding from the production they get it and then they send it, and they normally communicate and tell which batch of vaccine is being sent and with clear dateline attached to it.’