Bosnia-Herzegovina to destroy 55,000 expired doses of Covid-19 vaccine

Sarajevo, Sep 3 (EFE).- Bosnia-Herzegovina, where only 11% of adults have received a full course of the Covid-19 vaccine, confirmed Friday it will destroy at least 55,000 doses that have expired, with some 340,000 more doses approaching their expiry date in a month.

The Public Health Institute of the Republika Srpska, one of two entities forming the Balkan country, confirmed the imminent destruction of 55,000 expired doses.

The second entity, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, warned that in a month some 340,000 will expire.

Authorities said that most of the doses, often AstraZeneca jabs, were shipped in as donations with imminent expiry dates, within 30 to 60 days.

According to the Ministry of Civil Matters, the country of 3.3 million people has received a total of 2,994,050 doses of the vaccine.

By August 18, 928,126 of those doses had been administered, according to World Health Organization data.

Some 17% of adults have received at least one dose, and 11% are fully vaccinated.

The low vaccination rate is not due to a lack of doses, but rather to low interest or refusal by citizens to get inoculated.

According to official records, Bosnia registered 811 new cases of Covid-19 and 14 deaths on Thursday. EFE

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