Home » Health » The country would lose RD$2.2 billion due to expired vaccines

The country would lose RD$2.2 billion due to expired vaccines

The announcement that nearly three million anticovid vaccines, manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, will expire at the end of next month, marked the third time that this has happened, although never with such a large batch.

For this reason, the Ministry of Public Health has called on the population to complete the four-dose immunization schedule before July 31, the date on which the vaccines will expire.

The country has already lost at least 708,480 doses, almost all of them from the AstraZeneca company, according to the information shared by the authorities on the subject.

Due to the fact that the contract signed with the aforementioned company stipulates a price of four dollars per dose, and taking into account the dollar exchange rate when the contract was approved in the National Congress (RD$58.3956), and entered into force, these vaccines losses cost the Dominican State around RD$165,488,458.

However, the conditions of the agreement with Pfizer were different, since each dose was valued at about 12 dollars, so this loss, if it were in its entirety, could far exceed two billion pesos, by using the rate announced on the day the contract began, May 18 of last year.

In total, if three million vaccines were actually lost, the Dominican Government would have invested some RD$2,219,396,458 in doses that were not applied or donated.

The vaccinated

According to data provided by the National Vaccination Program, almost 15.7 million doses have been administered, of which 7.2 million correspond to the first dose, 5.9 million to the second, and 2.3 million have been booster doses.

Changes

At the beginning of the month, the Government submitted a new addendum to the contract with Pfizer to change 1.2 million doses for adults that are pending to doses for children, between 5 and 12 years old.

It also contemplates a reduction of 3,870 doses with respect to what was previously agreed, so that from 1,299,870 pending doses, it would be lowered to 1,296,000 doses of pediatric vaccine.

Pfizer.

Three million vaccines against the new coronavirus will expire on July 31.

Price: 12 dollars each.

Total in US$: 36,000,000.

Exchange rate: RD$57.0530.

Total in RD$: 2,053,908,000.

AstraZeneca.

708,480 expired anticovid vaccines.

Price: 4 dollars each.

Total in US$: 2,833,920.

Exchange rate: RD$58.3956.

Total in RD$: 165,488,458.75.

Cost of missed vaccinations

RD$2,219,396,458.75.

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