1.5 billion discarded vaccines have global consequences: ‘More deaths, more chance of mutation’

About 1.5 billion vaccines against Corona have disappeared into the trash. And this is while, according to research, a fairer distribution could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. “Sometimes you wonder: Does necessity not break the law?”

Of the 15 billion vaccines against Corona that have been provided worldwide, about 10 percent have been discarded without use. This is according to research by Airfinity, a London-based data and advisory firm

Hundreds of thousands dead

In Western countries, it has been calculated that some vaccines will disappear in the trash. But in poor countries, it took nearly a year before the first injection was given.

In the initial phase, half of the vaccines went to only 16 percent of the world’s population. And this is while countries such as the United States and Canada, for example, have purchased enough to vaccinate the entire population three times. medical paper scalpel I calculated that a more equitable distribution could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

The implications for Europe

“We also tried to bring the vaccines to Namibia,” says Bernard Leinstra, GP and founder of Wastebasket Vaccine. “But when you see how difficult it is to get around because of the sheer amount of rules, you wonder: Does emergency not break the law?”

He shows that bad distribution also has global consequences. “There are more deaths, faster and more mutations. The more the virus spreads, the greater the chance of a mutation that can be more deadly.”

Prepare to take vaccinations

But it’s not just high buying and poor distribution that causes vaccines to be thrown away. Decreased interest in vaccinations has also filled the trash can.

For example, 4.3 million vaccines have already disappeared in the Netherlands, and it is estimated that more than 7 million will be added. In addition, 840,000 new Novovax vaccines were purchased – an approved syringe that works without mRNA technology. 700,000 thousand were disposed of.

trustless

According to Leenstra, this is mainly due to a lack of confidence. “It’s not that people don’t get vaccines because of the myth that mRNA is a gene therapy,” he says.

“The exact reason doesn’t matter to these people. It’s simply the lack of trust in government and the RIVM that ensures that people don’t want to take those vaccines.”

Lack of dignity

And this is not at all absurd, says the doctor. “I also notice it in my work: people no longer trust because of a lack of dignity. It can only be a victim of the surcharge issue, or the Chromium-6 issue, or the Groningen gas.”

“If you feel let down by the government, why trust them when it comes to vaccines? A vaccine through disinformation.”

Don’t just protect your skin

According to Leenstra, there are two important lessons that can be learned from the many neglected vaccines. “First of all, it’s important to realize that this virus knows no borders. We can be busy keeping our skin within our boundaries, but it really doesn’t matter.”

“We really have to look at the world, because that’s where the new mutations and variants come from. I hope there will be awareness about the luxury status we have in the Netherlands.”

so i trust

In addition, Lenstra believes there is a need for more thought about how the text is given and explanations about the usefulness and necessity of vaccinations.

“Confidence is very low,” he concludes. “This needs to be improved first.”