By Canadian Press

P.E.I. forced to throw out more than 3,200 doses of expired AstraZeneca vaccine

Jul 15, 2021 | 12:44 PM

An infectious disease specialist says the thousands of doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine that have expired in Canada is a small price to pay to ensure there’s an adequate vaccine supply in the country.

Dr. Allison McGeer, an infectious disease specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, was responding to news that Prince Edward Island authorities had to dispose of more than 3,200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that expired on July 1.

She says the waste in Canada is a tiny amount in a world that needs billions of doses, and it is better to have too much of a particular vaccine than to turn people away because supply is lacking.

Health officials in New Brunswick say they had 960 doses of AstraZeneca expire and have 10,300 doses set to expire at the end of August.

A spokesman says the province is in discussions to redistribute doses that may not be required in New Brunswick.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2021.

The Canadian Press