covid vaccine

[iluleah]

I hear on the national news today about tens of millions more covid vaccines being promised/given to covax to enable countries in Africa to vaccinate their populations

HOWEVER .... just to name one African country South Sudan is handing back 72,000 doses it got through the Covax scheme and also  destroy 59,000 doses, when they had received 132,000 doses of the AZ vaccine in March, with an expiry date of the end of June....that mean they used just 1,000 doses..... surely this can't be right?

Why are 'we' and 'other' countries sending more vaccines when they can't or won't be used?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/56940657

[PaulineJ]

The 72,000 doses were  handed back towards the end of May (3weeks ago).

Partly due to not having the rollout logistics in place, and As they were valid to end July, they were reallocated.

All done by discussion with and agreement of WHO and others.

https://www.voanews.com/africa/south-sudan-focus/south-sudan-returning-72000-covid-vaccine-doses

[Mike in Cumbria]

Delivering vaccines in poor countries with inadequate infrastructure is always a challenge. The South Sudan government realised it can not deliver its current stock before it goes out of date, so  decided to return it so that it can be used elsewhere rather than going to waste.

[Mike in Cumbria]

A key phrase from the link you posted is "The UN's children's fund, Unicef, is urging those countries intending to donate vaccines to release them early enough so that they can be used in time."

[iluleah]

Delivering vaccines in poor countries with inadequate infrastructure is always a challenge.

I agree same with sending food/water aid to the same countries, many of these countries are in internal conflicts, with little to no infastructure set up , population spread out/isolated it doesn't go/get to the people who need it.
Gifting any/all of this aid is important but not used as a 'feel good factor' nor spread over dozens of these countries all who have the same issues of not being able to deliver it to their population or in time as that involves wasted resources.

[Rena]

I saw scenes and statements on TV the other day about a couple of struggling countries and am pretty sure one country's official admitted they'd had to "throw away"  vaccines,  not "return"vaccines.

The taxpayers of the world hand good money to highly paid international officials in both the World Health Organisation and the United Nations,  It is not enough for them to ask for vaccines to be sent to weaker countries.  They're paid enough to organise vaccines, plus organising the importation of sufficient qualified personnel to apply the vaccines. 

The U.K. has trained and used our armed forces to innoculate some of our population and I'm sure the richest countries of the world have sufficient manpower to help those who do not have sufficient accredited manpower..