Report: EU nations threw away MILLIONS of unused COVID-19 vaccines in landfills

By lauraharris // 2024-01-03

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Several countries in the European Union have thrown away millions of unused Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines in landfills across the continent, according to a report. The report by POLITICO looked at data from 19 EU member nations; 15 of them provided direct figures, while numbers for four other nations came from local media reports. Collectively, the 19 nations received 1.5 billion doses – amounting to more than three doses for every person in Europe – since the COVID-19 injections were first approved in late 2020. The report found that EU countries have discarded an average of 0.7 vaccine doses for every member of their population, amounting to at least 215 million doses in all. POLITICO estimated the cost of these unused and discarded doses at €4 billion ($4.4 billion). If this average waste rate is projected across the entire EU, it could translate to over 312 million vaccines being destroyed. Estonia took the No. 1 spot, disposing of more than one dose per resident. Germany closely followed at No. 2, recording the highest raw volume of discarded doses. The amount of wasted vaccines generally corresponds to the size of the countries, with Germany accounting for 83 million discarded doses and Luxembourg disposing of just under half a million. However, insiders suggest the actual number may be higher, with the German Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) not providing a comprehensive account for the second quarter of 2023. "Accordingly, a total volume of total disposed COVID-19 vaccine doses acquired by the Federal Republic of Germany cannot be quantified," the BMG stated to POLITICO in an email in July. The ministry further explained that private healthcare providers and state-level health authorities are not obligated to report vaccine waste. POLITICO based the €4 billion ($4.4 billion) estimated value of the 215 million wasted vaccines on the vaccine prices reported in the media, as the actual prices have not been disclosed. The study used a weighted average price of €19.39 ($21.37) for countries that only reported the total number of vaccines destroyed, without breaking it down by vaccine type. However, uncovering the exact number of discarded vaccines has proven challenging, as several governments have been hesitant to disclose the full scale of their waste. In short, this figure from the study could be higher than the estimated results.

Germany and Switzerland discarded millions of COVID-19 vaccines due to diminished demand

Germany boasts one of the highest vaccination rates in Europe, with 228.68 doses administered per 100 individuals. But the situation has taken a dramatic turn as the German population's willingness to get injected with the COVID-19 boosters has plummeted significantly. Switzerland is also in the same situation. Back in October 2022, Reuters reported on Bern's decision to discard nine million expired mRNA vaccine doses from Moderna. An additional 5.1 millions doses were destroyed in February 2023. (Related: Switzerland stops recommending COVID-19 vaccines, citing population’s high immunity.) "With this deliberately chosen strategy, it was accepted that too much vaccine would be procured and that some of the procured doses would have to be sold, passed or possibly destroyed," the Swiss government said in a statement at that time. Bern justified the wastage by citing a deliberate strategy of over-ordering vaccines to ensure an ample supply for its population of approximately 8.7 million, even in the face of potential supply bottlenecks or quality issues. Switzerland's health authorities revealed that the country had obtained 31.9 million vaccine doses from Moderna and other suppliers. Of this total, 16.1 million were utilized domestically, while 3.2 million were distributed to other recipients. Despite the vaccine surplus, just under 70 percent of the Swiss population and neighboring Liechtenstein have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, a comparatively low rate in Western Europe. This marks the second time Switzerland has been forced to destroy Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine doses, with 10.3 million doses destroyed in September 2022. The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health estimated the value of the discarded doses at about 280 million Swiss francs ($280.56 million). Visit Vaccines.news for more stories about the COVID-19 injections. Watch the video below about Australians seeking compensation for COVID-19 vaccine-related injuries. This video is from The Talking Hedge channel on Brighteon.com.

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Germany and Switzerland discarded millions of COVID-19 vaccines due to diminished demand

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