Coronavirus: 1,000 vaccine doses thrown away after expiring
The Health Ministry is examining whether to abolish the exemption from isolation for vaccinated people returning from abroad.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFA scientist conducts research on a vaccine for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at the laboratories of RNA medicines company Arcturus Therapeutics in San Diego, California, U.S., March 17, 2020. (photo credit: BING GUAN/REUTERS)
About 1000 coronavirus vaccines had to be disposed of after the Clalit Health Fund could not find people to vaccinate before the expiration date had passed, N12 reported.The report emphasized that significant efforts were taken to avert this outcome, including allowing people of all ages to get vaccinated.One official told N12 that they went to great lengths to gather those above the age of 60 who have yet to be vaccinated, but since there aren't many of those left, it would be advisable to make the vaccine available to all ages."Over the last few days we're seeing less vaccinations, and less people coming in to get the first does of the vaccine," Kalanit Kay, who manages the coronavirus vaccine operation at Clalit, told N12. "We put out a post on Facebook and over text messages, to anyone who lives in the area, to anyone who thinks they may want to receive the vaccine, telling them to come in and receive it. This spread from person to person and quite a few younger people came in to receive the first dose of the vaccine.""Unfortunately, we really don’t see the same sort of overloads we used to," Oded Shtemer, head of the central Israel county at Leumit health services, told N12. "We're seeing a drastic drop in vaccination rates. Even teenagers which we began vaccinating about a week ago have arrived at 25%, which is a rather low vaccination rate. I think some of the parents, not those over 60, but some of the younger one, those who haven't gotten the vaccine themselves, aren't encouraging their kids to come in and get vaccinated."This number is roughly double the previous highest number of vaccines which have been thrown out, which stood at about 470, according to N12.Teenagers born between 2003 and 2004 began getting vaccinated Saturday evening after the Health Ministry approved a plan late Thursday night to allow them to get the shot.
