In S’pore, 10% of Our COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Have Expired

When COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out for the first time after a year into the pandemic, countries scrambled for them.

Singapore was one of the richer and more fortunate countries that gained quick access to the vaccines as we started vaccinating our healthcare workers as early as 30 December 2020, before moving on to our elderly in February 2021.

As most of our eligible population gets their doses plus boosters, and the bivalent vaccines get introduced into our system, some wastage is inevitable.

10% of COVID-19 Vaccine Stock Expired

According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), about 10% of Singapore’s COVID-19 vaccine stock have reached their expiry dates.

It’s kind of like a family buying the 16-piece KFC chicken bucket to satiate their hunger; they will definitely eat their fill, but it’s practically impossible to finish all that grease and meat.

With the introduction of the new bivalent vaccines, which are manufactured to fight against the original COVID-19 strain and Omicron, older vaccine stocks will no longer be used.

Fortunately, the Ministry stated that it has taken steps to lessen the wastage, such as swopping and donating vaccine stocks with countries that need them more.

It is also working with vaccine manufacturers to find ways to extend the shelf life of the vaccines.

After all, it is not just the valuable vaccine that is going to waste— think about all the mini glass bottles and metal caps!

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In order to stay ahead of emerging variants of concerns, which may lead to overwhelming global demand or disruptions of the vaccine doses, Singapore tends to secure enough supplies in advance.

In doing so, it also ensures that Singapore gets early access to the new and higher efficacy formulations, like the bivalent vaccines which have been rolled out on 14 October.

These bivalent vaccines are available at the nine vaccination centres, where citizens can simply walk-in to get their doses.

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