Millions of vaccine doses can be thrown away - risk becoming redundant

Since the pandemic broke out just over two years ago, the EU and Sweden have bought "quite a lot" of vaccines, to use Richard Bergström's own words.

- We have fully guarded.

It's not just about having different types of vaccine but also about having volumes.

Can be discarded

In connection with the omicron variant surprising the world at the end of last year, the EU countries made a joint order for an additional 300 million doses, of which approximately 6.5 million were earmarked for Sweden.

The idea was that they would be used in the spring of 2022, but instead the pandemic leveled off and demand disappeared.

Deliveries have been postponed and now form the backbone of the European Central Warehouse.

But large parts can be discarded.

This autumn, new, updated versions of Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines are expected to be available, and Sweden has already booked several million doses of these vaccines through EU-wide procurement.

- Then everyone will want that vaccine and it will be difficult to get sales for what we have in our warehouses, says Richard Bergström

He estimates that there are millions of doses that may need to be discarded in Sweden and hundreds of millions of doses throughout Europe.

FHM: The situation is uncertain

The Swedish Public Health Agency also states that it is in the direction of danger that a number of doses may need to be discarded if a new vaccine arrives.

The authority does not want to give an exact answer as to how many doses it may be, but they do not think it is about the extent of several millions.

At the same time, they state that the situation is uncertain and may change.

- We will not discard anything until it is really necessary from a storage point of view or the products go out, says press manager Christer Jansson.

Not too much

Despite the risk that doses can be discarded, Richard Bergström does not believe that Sweden has bought too much.

- No, we definitely have not done that.

If we had a new variant that appeared in February and the Public Health Agency had said that we need to vaccinate everyone again, then we must have the volumes.

FMH states that an alternative to throwing away vaccine doses is to donate them to other countries.

But according to Richard Bergström, it can also prove difficult.

- Many countries have reached a kind of saturation.

Hopefully the interest will return next winter so that we can then start donating again, says Richard Bergström.