Outdated information in the health authorities’ database and no-shows (persons failing to turn up) are resulting in a significant number of Covid-19 vaccines going to waste, Voice of the Workers Weekly has learnt. Sources said this is happening quite often in various Covid-19 vaccine centres around the island.

“Unfortunately, once the the Covid-19 vaccine has been prepared it must be administered within a few hours or else it would have to be thrown away,” they said.

“One of the issues disrupting the roll out is the fact that appointments are being given to deceased persons due to incorrect and outdated information in the database of the health authorities. Moreover, there have also been instances whereby those given an appointment do not turn up” source added.

Faced by such situation front-liners are trying to mitigate the situation by encouraging those accompanying the elderly or at times their own acquaintances to take the vaccine. Nonetheless, some jabs are still going to waste.

Sources within the health sector floated the idea of a register for individuals willing to be contacted at short notice to take the vaccine, should there be some jabs which would otherwise go to waste. Contacted by Voice of the Workers Weekly, the Health Ministry was not forthcoming and no reply was received by the time of writing. Questions on the efforts being made to address the shortcomings in the database were also not answered.

Meanwhile, the issue was raised during the weekly briefing addressed by Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci. The latter said there was a “reserve list” of people who could be contacted in case there would be unutilised jabs. However, front-liners who preferred to remain anonymous said that this reserve list was news to them. Furthermore, no details have been given on the selection criteria on who should be on the reserve list. In this respect, many subscribed to the proposal of having a dedicated register as this would be a more transparent way to handle the issue.