In Malawi, health officials have incinerated 19,610 expired doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and hope it will educate the public about the safety of every vaccine.
It is the first African nation to do this openly.
Initially, the World Health Organization encouraged nations not to discard unused doses but has now reversed their recommendations.
The vaccine uptake was poor in Malawi, and health workers expect the change would enhance public trust.
Of a population of 18 million, 34,232 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,153 deaths have been recorded.
Malawi got 102,000 doses and used about 80 percent of the AstraZeneca vaccine it obtained from the African Union on 26 March.
Although the expiration date on the packets was 13 April, meaning the bottles had to be stored out of the cold chain.
The BBC was informed by Malawi’s main health secretary that the vials had to be destroyed unfortunately, but the gains outweighed the risks.
“As word circulated we had out-of-date vaccinations, we found that people did not arrive at our clinics for immunization,” Dr. Charles Mwansambo said.
“If we don’t burn them, the patients will say we use the contaminated vaccinations in our laboratories and Covid-19 will strike them strongly if they don’t.”
Dr. Mwansambo clarified that one of the excuses the health professionals could not use vaccinations until their expiry was that adults were not persuaded to be vaccinated.
Some residents are concerned about vaccine protection on the streets of the capital Lilongwe.
“I would like to get vaccinated but how sure am I if I go to the hospital I won’t be given the expired vaccines?” Jack Chitete, a shopkeeper, told the BBC.
“I’ve read several accounts about people having blood clots and certain people also dying after they’re immunized. Are they spreading lies? If it is the truth, why are we being given the same vaccines? “asked Mphatso Chipenda, another shopkeeper.
The correlation between the AstraZeneca vaccine and uncommon blood clots has not yet been proven and health professionals say the risk from Covid-19 is far higher. If they may, they encourage citizens to get vaccinated.
Malawi is not the only African country where vaccinations have expired. The WHO originally urged the countries affected to retain the vaccinations so they could determine if they could even be needed.
Although now it claims the vaccines already delivered by the maker can be discarded with a fixed expiry date.
“While it is profoundly regrettable to discard vaccinations under any scheme of immunization, the WHO advises that these unused doses be withdrawn from the delivery chain and safely disposed of,” the WHO said in a statement on 17 May.
Other vaccinations currently in use will last up to 36 months. The problem with Covid-19 vaccinations is their usage for less than one year and their effectiveness after long periods can not be substantiated.
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