More than four billion euros of vaccines against Covid-19 have been destroyed by European Union (EU) Member States, the publication Politico has investigated. More than 200 million unused vaccines have been disposed of across the European Union. However, the true amount of unused vaccines is likely much higher, given that several countries did not provide data to the international edition, including Latvia.
In Latvia, vaccines against Covid-19 are stored in freezers on the premises of the State Blood Donor Center. The stock is being drained at a much slower pace than it was originally.
Covid-19 vaccines received:
- 9.4 million doses
Covid-19 vaccines scrapped due to expiry:
- 2.1 million doses
Donated Covid -19 vaccines:
- 2.5 million doses
Balance in the warehouse (as of 14.12.2023):
- 750.4 thousand doses
Source: National Health Center, Health Ministry (data for the period 2020-December 2023)
When vaccines against the coronavirus were found safe in Europe, the European Union organized a joint procurement. Latvia initially bought too few vaccines, and too many after that. More than nine million doses in total.
Of these, Latvia didn't use about half. Some of these vaccines have been written off because they have expired, some donated to other countries. More than 750 thousand doses of vaccines are still stored in the warehouse.
"At the Association of Health Centers in 2021, we vaccinated around 4,000 people a day. I looked at the data that this year we have vaccinated five and a half thousand people altogether. That's the answer why there are leftovers. People don't get vaccinated. It was the situation of the moment where we can say that the world had gone mad. Ordered because he thought it would be long and necessary," explained Stella Lapiņa, chairwoman of the Board of Association of Health Centers.
“We didn't know which manufacturer would be able to make the vaccine the fastest and what the vaccine would be in the end. It's hard to say these vaccines were bought needlessly. We needed to buy more so that we can guarantee protection to all Latvian residents, ” National Health Service spokesman Armīns Kalniņš said.
The publication “Politico”, based on Eurostat and previously published information on vaccine purchases in the media, estimates that the estimated total value of the vaccines scrapped in the European Union is over four billion euros.
Losses caused to the State budget in Latvia are not currently disclosed, citing trade secret of vaccine manufacturers as the reason. However, based on a LTV study a year ago, where information requested by Saeima deputies was taken as the basis, it was found that the value of the vaccines supplied a year ago was EUR 92.7 million, which has only increased this year. Given that half of the vaccines were not used for vaccinating the Latvian population, the losses are worth tens of millions of euros.
“Vaccine expiration dates are regularly reviewed and as they come to an end, vaccines are either donated or tried to sell but it's very difficult to sell because everyone has a lot. Well, all I have to do is express regret about this situation. Right now, we're just throwing vaccines out,” said head of the State Immunization Council Dace Zavadska admitted.
Contracts with vaccine manufacturers stipulate that Latvia will continue to buy vaccines until 2026. Breach of contract would result in legal action. Good news is that Latvia has managed to reduce the amount of vaccines ordered.
“Nobody knows what's going to happen next year. Will the pandemic continue? Yeah, probably going to go on. Under what conditions? Will it be more contagious? Will it be more deadly? Will hospitals be overcrowded or not? Of course, the dose price will not change, but we will take fewer doses, so we will pay a smaller amount,“ Kalniņš noted.
Vaccines against Covid-19 are available for free to every resident. Specialists recommend that seniors and people with chronic conditions get vaccinated.
