by Róise Collins
CLOSE to 6,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines were discarded from vaccinations centres in Donegal over a 15 month period.
Figures provided to the Donegal News through a Freedom of Information request show that 5,727 doses of the vaccine went unused after being discarded by the HSE at vaccination centres in the county between January 2022 and March 2023.
This is down to reduced demand as the vaccination programme has progressed, a HSE spokesperson has said.
“As the vaccination programme has progressed, it is inevitable that the unpredictability of demand will increase and attendance profiles will fluctuate.
“Notwithstanding, the distribution of vaccines to all vaccine administration sites is done on the basis of robust pharmaceutical inventory management principles including FEFO (first expire/first out) to ensure that stock turn is maximised and the risk of expiry minimised to the greatest extent possible,” he said.
The HSE said the wastage levels are monitored across all vaccination channels on a regular basis. However, a risk will always be associated with ensuring sufficient stock across all vaccination channels and balancing that with people coming forward in adequate numbers.
“The priority has to be facilitating those who do come forward. The primary objective of the HSE is to implement current Government recommendations in providing Covid-19 vaccinations to as many eligible people as possible who wish to avail of the same,” they added.
Figures released from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show how vaccination rates fell during the HSE’s latest Covid-19 Spring booster programme.
Just one per cent of those eligible for the spring booster jab received the vaccine in the Letterkenny LEA. This compares to five per cent of those eligible in the Letterkenny LEA who received the third booster.
It is a similar picture across the county. One per cent received their fourth booster in the Carndonagh and Buncrana LEAs while two per cent of those eligible received the jab in Donegal, Glenties, Lifford-Stranorlar and Milford LEAs.
The CSO report also shows that south Inishowen continues to have the lowest rate of vaccination among five to 11 year olds with just four per cent in the Buncrana Local Electoral Area having the primary course completed.
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