A new type of corona vaccine that has expired and has been discarded without being used.
According to NHK's interview, it was found that at least 5 local governments had about 100,000 doses.
Coverage of 20 government-designated cities and 23 wards of Tokyo
NHK interviewed 20 government-designated cities and 23 wards of Tokyo among the municipalities nationwide that are proceeding with the third vaccination regarding the usage status and disposal prospects of the new corona vaccine.
As a result, it was found that among the Moderna vaccines that will expire by the end of this month, at least five local governments have a total of 102,290 doses of vaccines that are not expected to be used and are expected to be discarded.
Specifically, it has already been clarified
▽ In addition to about 80,000 times in Osaka City ▽
13,935 times in Nakano Ward, Tokyo,
▽ About 6000 times in Meguro Ward, ▽
1575 times in Bunkyo Ward,
▽ In Suginami Ward It is 780 times.
On the other hand, the expiration date of Pfizer's vaccine was extended from 9 months to 1 year on the 22nd of this month, and 354 doses were avoided in Hamamatsu City, but 18 doses were already discarded in Suginami Ward.
The reason for disposal is ...
Regarding the reason for disposal, many local governments cite the surplus vaccine due to the fact that vaccination has not increased from the initial forecast and that the number of applicants for Moderna was relatively small.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has not disclosed the amount of one vaccine, and the total amount of vaccine to be discarded this time is unknown.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said that there is a possibility that the number of vaccines that will reach the expiration date will increase in the future. I would like to request effective utilization so that waste can be reduced as much as possible. "
3rd inoculation does not progress more than expected
Municipalities that have vaccines that will expire by the end of this month have been accommodating with each other, but they have no choice but to dispose of them because the inoculation did not proceed as originally expected. ..
Of these, the city of Osaka plans to dispose of about 80,000 doses of Moderna's vaccine, which expired on the 25th of this month. It is said that the background is that the number of people who have been vaccinated is only about half of the target people.
Mayor Matsui said, "The country prepares vaccines for all people, but there are so many people who do not hit them. Vaccines have a deadline, and when the deadline is reached, they have to be discarded." ..
Also, in Nakano-ku, Tokyo, the deadline for 13,935 doses is expected to reach the end of this month, and the inoculation did not proceed as expected, and although we consulted with other local governments through the city, there was no local government to accept it, so we have to discard it. It is said that.
Even in Meguro Ward, it is expected that the deadline for 6000 doses will be reached, and it is said that the vaccination did not proceed as expected because there are few people who want to inoculate Moderna.
In some cases, it is discarded due to improper management.
In addition, there are a number of cases in which vaccines are discarded at mass inoculation venues and medical institutions due to improper management.
Of these
, in Koto-ku, Tokyo, 7728 doses were discarded due to the effects of power outages caused by the earthquake and mistakes in temperature control of the refrigerator, and in
Kawasaki City, the temperature rose due to an abnormality in the freezer that stored the vaccine.
In Niigata City, the vaccine that was thawed by the business operator was mistakenly stored in the freezer again, and 3192 doses were discarded
.
Furthermore, in Setagaya Ward, problems such as the refrigerator being turned off due to loose plugs and the temperature exceeding the appropriate temperature for storage occurred one after another, and a total of 3645 doses were discarded.
Nobuto Hosaka, Mayor of Setagaya Ward, said at a regular press conference, "We are in a situation where we have to dispose of many vaccines repeatedly, and we are keenly aware of our responsibility as a ward and take it very seriously. I want to examine in detail. "
In addition, when diluting the vaccine, there were cases where the vaccine was discarded because it could not be used by mistake or was contaminated with foreign substances.
Sumida-ku, Tokyo to prevent disposal through "close cooperation"
Under these circumstances, some local governments are making efforts to prevent the disposal of vaccines.
Of these, Sumida Ward, Tokyo, disposes of the new corona vaccine through close cooperation within the ward, such as preparing to promptly move to another medical institution if a medical institution that is difficult to use up within the expiration date appears. It corresponds so as not to issue.
According to Sumida Ward, Tokyo, there have been no cases in the ward of the new corona vaccine that have expired and have been discarded.
In order not to dispose of the vaccine, the ward should check the expiration date and contact the ward immediately if it is difficult to use up the vaccine at a vaccine briefing session for medical institutions. I continue to call.
Then, when a clinic or the like informs us that there is a vaccine that is about to expire, the staff will immediately make adjustments and take measures to transfer the vaccine to a medical institution with a large number of inoculations to prevent disposal. I did.
On the other hand, as the number of vaccinations increases, the number of people who want to get vaccinated is decreasing, and the vaccination rate for pediatric vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 continues to be sluggish, making it difficult to manage vaccine inventory. It means that it has become.
Mr. Hitoshi Iwase, Deputy Director of Sumida Ward Health Center, said, "We are currently responding flexibly, so we would like to systematize this system in the future. Since it is an inoculation, I think it is the responsibility of the government to do it without waste. "