Gov’t denies supplying expired COVID-19 vaccines

The assistant minister was responding to a question from Member of Parliament (MP) for Serowe South, Leepetswe Lesedi who had asked whether members of the public were ever offered expired COVID-19 vaccines. “Firstly, all COVID-19 vaccines received emergency use authorisation from different National Regulatory Authorities and the World Health Organisation. The initial shelf of COVID-19 vaccines was limited or had a shorter shelf life due to evolving data on stability at the time of initial regulations approvals,” Ookeditse told Parliament.

Supporting his argument, he said the vaccines that were received were all used within their shelf life as per the WHO requirements. The minister indicated that just like any other medications that have expired, they were destroyed, and such medicines include AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, and Sinovac, not the Pfizer vaccine. “All expired vaccines were withdrawn from health facilities nationwide.

A total of 1 971 101 doses were destroyed,” he said. He, however, reiterated that no one was offered an expired COVID-19 vaccine. As cases continue to threaten herds and rural livelihoods, one simple but critical action can make a powerful difference: strictly adhering to FMD regulations, including refraining from slaughtering cloven-hoofed animals.Cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs, are highly susceptible to FMD. Slaughter, especially during outbreaks or restricted periods, significantly increases the risk of spreading the virus through…