The European Union has discarded a minimum of 215 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, equivalent to around 4 billion euros ($4.37 billion) in taxpayer funds, according to reports in the media on Monday.
These vaccines were procured during the peak of the pandemic in 2021. EU member states collectively received 1.5 billion vaccine doses, with a significant portion ending up unused and ultimately disposed of.
Efforts to redirect surplus vaccines to third countries have faced obstacles due to declining demand and logistical challenges, as reported by the media.
In May, the World Health Organization (WHO) removed the public health emergency status for COVID-19. As of December 13, WHO has documented nearly 7 million COVID-related fatalities since the onset of the pandemic.
Since the first coronavirus vaccines were approved at the end of 2020, EU countries have collectively received 1.5 billion doses, more than three for each inhabitant of the block.
However, EU countries have on average renounced 0.7 injections per member of its population, the media points out.
At the top of the scale is Estonia, with more than one dose wasted per resident followed by Germany, which has also thrown away the largest number of unused shots.
