26 Sep 2022

The Ministry of Health will never use expired medicines to vaccinate against COVID-19, Dr Christopher Nyanga has stated.

 Dr Nyanga, who is the ministry spokesperson, was reacting to allegations that expired vaccines were being used on people.

 “The allegations are very unfortunate and the ministry cannot and will not use expired vaccines on people because it is wrong and unacceptable,” he said in an interview yesterday.

   He said all vaccines currently being used had not expired and that once they expired they would be safely disposed of.

He assured the nation that the ministry had enough vaccines for all those eligible for vaccination.

With regard to the 5-11 age group, Dr Nyanga confirmed that the ministry had started their vaccination. 

As with the 12 to 17-year-olds, the Pfizer vaccine would be used, he said.Dr Nyanga said children were vaccinated at their schools but parents were still free to take theirs to vaccination sites.

Although the ministry encouraged parents to allow their children to be vaccinated against COVID-19, vaccination remained voluntary, he said adding that no child would be vaccinated against their parents’ wishes. 

Most parents had allowed their children to be vaccinated, he observed. ENDS