Contrary to the AstraZeneca vaccine, the mRNA vaccines cannot be stored once they are in open vials.
In that case, people meeting the criteria for phases 1 and 2 will be notified that they have the option to visit the centre in the evening to be vaccinated with the remaining doses in open vials. There are no waiting lists for data protection reasons.
According to the RTL source, the biggest problem at the moment is that some healthcare professionals, who can be vaccinated after phase 1 of the vaccination campaign, are not going to their appointments because they do not want to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
A mixture of misinformation and false interpretations of scientific data as well as the decision of some European countries to restrict the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people under 65 years of age (decisions which have mostly been revoked by now) have recently stirred up controversy around the product.
According to well-informed circles, those in charge find themselves “trapped” between two ethical issues. After the affair of members of administrative boards being vaccinated early, officials have sought to avoid vaccinating people outside of the official strategy.
On the other hand, they also do not want this situation to lead to them being forced to throw away unused doses in the evening. The Limpertsberg vaccination centre has allegedly decided for itself that this must not happen under any circumstances.
The source further states that while Luxembourg is no longer in a situation of vaccine shortage, they are nevertheless not available in abundance as of yet. It appears likely that centres will start to vaccinate on Sundays as well.
As of Monday, about 47,515 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been injected since the end of December. 81,090 doses have been delivered to Luxembourg. The difference is explained by the fact that in most cases a second dose is reserved for the second injection.
According to the website “Our world in data” and the European Center for Diesease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the Grand Duchy is below the European average in terms of vaccination.
On Wednesday afternoon, MP Sven Clement from the Pirate Party submitted an urgent parliamentary question about whether, at the end of the day, the vaccine doses remaining in open vials are discarded. He also asked whether the government is considering, like the German city of Duisburg, setting up an SMS system to invite the people next up in line to receive their vaccines in the evening.
