A health worker unseals a box of COVID-19 vaccines at a hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi, on May 19, 2021. Malawian government Wednesday destroyed 19,610 expired COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccines despite WHO's call for countries to keep the expired vaccines. (Photo by Joseph Mizere/Xinhua)
LILONGWE, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Malawi government Wednesday destroyed 19,610 expired COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccines despite WHO's call for countries to keep the expired vaccines.
Minister of Health, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, led the destruction of the expired vaccines at a public event held at Kamuzu Central Hospital incinerator in the capital Lilongwe in the presence of local and international media.
The minister, who is also co-chairperson for the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, said the destruction of the vaccines is in line with the country's policy that does not allow any use of expired health commodities.
"We are destroying the vaccines to ensure that they are not used in the country's health system. Historically, under the Expanded Immunization Programme of Malawi, no expired vaccine has ever been used. We are destroying publicly in order to stay accountable to Malawians that the vaccines that expired are not being used during the vaccination campaign and, on behalf of the Government, I assure all Malawians that no one will be given an expired COVID-19 vaccine," she said.
Chiponda added that the vaccines expired because "they were of short shelf life" by the time the country received the particular consignment of the donation.
According to the minister, the country received a consignment of 102,000 vaccines from AU on March 26 with an expiry date of April 13 and the Malawi government managed to use all but the 19,610 vaccines by the date of expiry.
The minister has since thanked the government of India, the AU and WHO for donating the COVID-19 vaccines to Malawi and she has described it as lifesaving gesture to the sub-Saharan country.
Malawi has received 360,000 vaccines from WHO under the COVAX Facility, 50,000 vaccines from India, and 102,000 vaccines from AU, making a total of 512,000 vaccines.
The vaccine campaign in Malawi is currently underway with over 335,000 doses administered. Enditem
