COVID CONFUSION
NHS Lanarkshire hits back as Tory MSP’S claim almost 100 vaccine doses were wasted at centre in Hamilton sparks...
Claims from a Conservative MSP that almost 100 coronavirus vaccinations were wasted in Hamilton have caused confusion after they were dismissed by NHS Lanarkshire.
Central Scotland MSP Margaret Mitchell, below, said at First Minister’s questions on Wednesday, February 10, that 14 vials of the Pfizer jab had to be disposed of at Whitehill Neighbourhood Centre after they had been brought out of cold storage for more than five days and not used.
However, NHS Lanarkshire have since clarified that none of their Covid-19 vaccination centres, including the one in Whitehill, have had to waste as many as 14 vials because “almost everyone” has attended their appointments.
Each vial contains between six and seven jabs meaning as many as 98 doses could have been wasted, according to Ms Mitchell.
Dr Mark Russell, lead for the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Lanarkshire, said the health board “have processes in place” to keep wastage to “an absolute minimum”.
Speaking at Holyrood last week, Ms Mitchell said: “The dedicated staff at Whitehill Community Centre in Hamilton had to throw out 14 vials of the Pfizer vaccine because appointment vacancies that were made centrally had not been filled.
“Each vial contains enough for six to seven jabs, so 84 to 98 people were deprived of that life-saving vaccine. That is just one centre in Lanarkshire, and there have been similar experiences Scotland-wide.” First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reassured the public no one would be denied the vaccine, and said that wastage rates are “very low”.
NHS Lanarkshire have refuted claims that almost 100 Covid-19 vaccinations were wasted in Hamilton.
Central Scotland MSP Margaret Mitchell had brought the issue up at First Minister’s questions last week before the health board categorically denied that 14 vials of the Pfizer vaccine had been thrown out at Whitehill Neighbourhood Centre.
Dr Mark Russell, lead for the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Lanarkshire, said the wastage rate in Lanarkshire was “less than one per cent” and that “almost everyone” had attended vaccination appointments.
Conservative MSP Ms Mitchell claimed that the vials had been thrown out because they had been stored at a higher temperature than normal for more than five days.
Each vial contains between six and seven jabs, meaning up to 98 doses would have been wasted.
Speaking after First Minister’s Questions, Ms Mitchell said: “It is crucial to have minimum wastage in an effort to ensure that not a drop of this lifesaving vaccine is squandered.
“In order to achieve that objective we need clear messaging that those in the shielding and other relevant age groups can check with the national helpline to confirm their appointment date.
“Once they have an appointment confirmed they can check the availability of short-notice appointment vacancies. This is to make sure these appointment vacancies are filled.
“That will also help ensure that the maximum number of people are vaccinated each day, and that more people can then move up the queue”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon didn’t deny that the vaccinations had been wasted when asked by Ms Mitchell on Wednesday, February 10, but did reassure the public that no one would be denied the vaccine.
Ms Sturgeon said: “Every adult in Scotland will be offered the vaccination, and I hope that we will see significant numbers of people coming forward to get it, as we have done in the early groups.
“Wastage is minimised. The wastage rates of the vaccine, so far, are very low and we want to get them lower still. They are well below the five per cent international figure that is often used for planning assumptions in designing such programmes.”
However, NHS Lanarkshire have since confirmed that none of their vaccination centres, including Whitehill Neighbourhood Centre, have had to throw out as many as 14 vials of the vaccine.
Dr Russell said: “We have processes in place to make sure vaccine wastage is kept to an absolute minimum.
“I would like to offer reassurance that 14 vials of Pfizer vaccine were not disposed of at Whitehill Neighbourhood Centre, or at any of our clinics.
“Our vaccination uptake has been very high, with almost everyone attending for their appointments. This has meant that, across Lanarkshire, our wastage rate is less than one per cent.”