The protein vaccine Nuvaxovid has been available in Austria since the end of February and should mainly appeal to people who have not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19. However, that expectation has not come true, according to a parliamentary question from the FPÖ. As of Sunday, nearly 12,000 doses of vaccine had been administered across Austria, but more than 2.6 million had been delivered.
If the shelf life is not extended, 2.5 million vaccine doses will expire by the end of August. This was announced by Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens), who answered the FPÖ’s request. Nuvaxovid was the fifth corona vaccine to be approved in the EU. It is based on a different technology than the previously available preparations, as it is protein-based. Before the American vaccine from the manufacturer Novavax was delivered to Austria, there were pre-registrations for it in almost all federal states.
Especially first stitches with Novavax
However, interest remained low. As of July 24, it had 4,451 first stitches, plus 3,610 second stitches and 2,669 third stitches. Just over 1000 people received their fourth vaccination with Novavax, for some it was already their fifth sting. In total, this corresponds to only 0.45 percent of the cans supplied.
According to Rauch, the vaccine currently in stock will no longer be available after September 23 unless the shelf life is extended. In this case, however, there is no provision for immediate destruction. For example, the shelf life can be extended afterwards by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Rauch expects “an increase in demand in anticipation of increased infection incidence in the fall of 2022”.
No buyers in sight
Another option is to donate the unwanted doses of Novavax vaccine. However, so far no buyers have been found for this because the demand for vaccines worldwide is saturated. Austria expects about 1.5 million additional doses of the same vaccine.
Source: Krone
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