MEXICO CITY. Five million 41 thousand 50 vaccines against Covid-19 from the Astra Zeneca and Sputnik brands will be thrown into the sewer by the health authorities, because they expired last June.
Of the total vaccines wasted, 3 million 409 thousand 440 are of the Astra Zeneca brand, obtained by donation from the United States Government, and belonging to lots PA0089, PA0090 and PA0091, which were stored in the Birmex warehouse in Cuautitlan Izcalli, in the State of Mexico. .
Meanwhile, one million 631 thousand 610 expired vaccines of the Sputnik brand, which were purchased, correspond to batches 11321G1F2, 1-730921 and 29121G2F2 and were located in the National Institute of Virology.
According to the Vaccination Manual, biologicals must be thrown down the drain and their bottles must be rendered unusable.
Birmex director general, General Jens Pedro Lohmann Iturburu, reported on August 24 of the expired material via official letter 357/2022 and asked Ruy López Ridaura, director general of the National Center for Preventive Programs and Disease Control (Cenaprece), instructions for defining the destination of vaccines.
“I would be grateful if, within the scope of your competences and powers, you issue the appropriate instructions and / or actions for the final disposal of the biologicals in question; so that this state holding company is able to comply with current regulations (NOM-059-SSA-2015 and NOM-241-SSA1-2012), and thus ensure good storage and distribution practices (BPAD) “, asked Lohmann Iturburu.
On September 2, Cenaprece replied that, according to NOM-036-SSA2-2012, in addition to the Mexican Government’s Vaccination Manual, vaccines with an expired expiration date must be treated with physicochemical methods and the vials must be rendered unrecognizable.
«The bottles of vaccine against Covid-19, while not containing live attenuated viruses, must be inactivated before proceeding with the disposal of the vials.
“Once the biological inactivation has been carried out by some physical or chemical method, all the residual liquid that remains in the bottle must be thrown down the drain. Next you need to remove and destroy the label and finally dispose of the bottle in the common trash.
Natalia calf
Reform Agency
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