Over 1100 Doses of Moderna Vaccine in Armenia Have Expired

Over 1000 doses of the 'Spikevax' vaccine produced by Moderna have expired in Armenia, according to a response from the Armenian Ministry of Health to a query by Sputnik Armenia.

"Out of the 207,600 doses of the 'Spikevax' (Moderna) vaccine received from Norway, 206,450 doses have been administered. A total of 1,150 doses of the 'Spikevax' (Moderna) vaccine have expired due to the end of their shelf life," the ministry's response stated.

When asked whether the implementation of QR codes in Armenia starting January 22 was related to the need for vaccines to be administered before their expiration date, the Ministry of Health provided the following answer:

"The restrictions on access to public places, both worldwide and in Armenia, are due to the tense epidemiological situation regarding the coronavirus, as well as the fact that on November 26 of this year, the World Health Organization alerted about a new variant of the coronavirus, 'Omicron,' classifying it as a variant of concern," the ministry noted.

Given that 'Omicron' spreads more rapidly than previous strains, new preventive measures have been developed to lower the risk of transmission, which have been discussed in due time with all concerned parties.

"However, considering that businesses also needed time to prepare, the restrictions came into effect 15 days after their announcement," stated the Ministry of Health.

Thus, the Ministry insists that the restrictions were implemented considering the epidemiological situation. On the other hand, according to the data received, the application of restrictions starting January 22 allowed the ministry to remain within the shelf life of the vaccines, as out of 207,600 doses, only 1,150 were not used.

Prior to this, the ministry had reported that another batch of Moderna vaccine (13,300 doses) had been fully utilized, with its shelf life expiring on January 14.

It was previously reported that other batches of Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines against the coronavirus had also expired in Armenia.

In terms of the effectiveness of vaccine application, the postponement of restrictions can be considered successful, provided that we set aside the fact that restrictions should have been implemented considering the epidemiological situation (which remains questionable).

It is worth recalling that according to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, only 2.3% of the imported vaccines have not been used due to expiration prior to recent times.

Also, starting January 22, access to restaurants, cafes, hotels, gyms, and cultural institutions is prohibited without proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test result (which must have been taken within the last 72 hours).