The Telegraph estimated the number of missing doses of AstraZeneca vaccine in Britain

In the UK, about 800,000 doses of AstraZeneca's covid-19 vaccine were expired and unusable, writes The Telegraph. The publication notes that this is happening against the backdrop of a global shortage of drugs in poorer countries.

The reason for such losses is that the UK authorities have narrowed the scope of the vaccine from ASTRAZENECA. After the emergence of data on side effects in the form of blood clots, British people under 40 were advised to choose another vaccine. As a result, thousands of doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, already delivered to medical facilities, were not needed.

The 800,000 expired doses are estimates based on information from several regions of the country. For example, in Wales, which publishes the most comprehensive data on the progress of vaccination and at the same time, according to The Telegraph, has the lowest percentage of vaccine losses, reported that as of September 5, it had 40,000 expired doses of AstraZeneca. This is approximately 1.7% of the number of injections made there. From this, the publication concludes that if the percentage of losses is approximately the same throughout the country, then at least 800 thousand doses of the drug must be sent for disposal. A total of 48.9 million doses of AstraZeneca were administered in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Paul Mainwood, an expert who monitors the progress of the vaccination campaign, agreed with The Telegraph's calculations.

“We are upset because we know that third world countries need them, and we throw them in the trash,” said one of the doctors interviewed by the publication.

The problem is also created by the fact that strict redistribution rules apply to medicines and most of the batches of the drug already shipped by the manufacturer can no longer be redirected to another place. For example, you cannot return to the manufacturer already opened packages of ampoules (they are distributed in batches of ten vials or 60 doses of vaccine). Drugs already distributed among general practitioners are also not subject to return.