As of 18 October 2023, 755,240 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine had been earmarked for destruction, or already destroyed, according to a parliamentary response by Paulette Lenert.
In response to a query submitted by Pirates MP Sven Clement, the current health minister added that a further 314,000 doses of the vaccine are set to expire by the end of November, meaning the tally of destroyed doses is likely to increase.
Of the 755,240 doses destroyed, 591,000 were manufactured by Moderna, 61,550 by Novavax, 52,410 by Pfizer, 31,520 by Janssen and 17,900 by AstraZeneca.
“The cost of the destroyed doses is estimated to be around €16,789,430.15", Lenert explained, adding that the exchange rates at the time of payment may slightly modify the overall total.
In her response, Lenert went on to clarify that the vaccines were purchased as a collaborative effort with the European Union, which meant Luxembourg was contractually obligated to purchase a certain number of doses, like all other EU member states.
“As is also the case in other EU countries, it was not possible to prevent the destruction of a certain number of doses for various reasons in Luxembourg,” the minister concluded.
