Were too many flu vaccines ordered? Will pharmacies be stuck with surplus doses? Amongst other things, these were the questions CSV MP Jean-Marie Halsdorf raised with the minister of health, Paulette Lenert, in parliament.
Due to the risk of a serious shortage, the health ministry decided in June to order an additional 30,000 doses of the common flu vaccine, on top of the stock that pharmacies had already purchased themselves. Lenert specified that the retail price of one dose was €9.5, excluding VAT. 5,000 of these doses are issued to state services and government administrations, where people are usually given the vaccines as early as October.
This year, however, priority was given to vulnerable people and health workers.
Regarding Halsdorf’s question that pharmacies might be left with surplus vaccines, the minister said that this would be unlikely given that vaccines have been unavailable for weeks now. The ministry does not know how many vulnerable people still want to get the vaccine shot.
The CSV MP had further questions concerning the vaccine against pneumonia. Large stocks of said vaccine – in excess of 3,000 - were ordered in the summer. However, more than 2,100 seem to be left over. Lenert informed parliament that due to the short expiry date of this particular vaccine, the surplus stock had to be destroyed. One such dose costs €20.5 without VAT.
Moreover, Lenert said that any leftover flu vaccine cannot be used next winter as flu vaccines alter from year to year.
