VACCINE BATCHES
So far, SA has only managed to fully vaccinate 2,3% of the population, which is about 1,36 million people. There’s still a lot of catching up to do, according to Barry Schoub, professor emeritus of virology at Wits University in Joburg.
Yet there have been reports of batches of vaccines being thrown away at the end of the day because they don’t “keep”.
There will always be a certain percentage of vaccine wastage, says health sciences lecturer Hannelie Meyer.
Vaccines are based on different technologies and have different properties, which is why each vaccine has its own storage requirements, she explains. The period it can be stored at a certain temperature also differs from vaccine to vaccine. “Vaccines exposed to undesired temperature ranges will result in a loss of potency and can also result in adverse events following immunisation,” she says.
Should there be any deviations from the storage requirements, vaccines must be discarded for patient safety.
But experts say one of the ways to avoid wastage is to allow walk-ins. Because of the recent no-show rate, about 70% of people who’ve registered didn’t pitch for their vaccines, according to DisChem Pharmacies.
Walk-ins have now been opened in Gauteng for those 50 and older while vaccination for people between the ages of 35 and 49 will start on 1 August.
You can register for a vaccine appointment at your local pharmacy if you’re far from the site the government allocates to you.
To register on the department of health’s Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) all you need is access to the internet, your ID number or passport, contact information and work or home address.
Meyer says there will be no vaccine wastage if you go to a different place instead of your registered site because the system will pick up your ID number. Walk-ins are now also open in case you miss your appointment.
SHOULD THERE BE ANY DEVIATIONS FROM THE STORAGE REQUIREMENTS, VACCINES MUST BE DISCARDED FOR PATIENT SAFETY