With millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses wasted, has Canada kept its donation promises?

A new report by Canada’s auditor general says the federal government was quick to secure sufficient COVID-19 vaccine supply but unable to limit wastage.

Two years after Canada began its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, more than 80 per cent of the population has been vaccinated, with nearly 95 million doses administered going into arms — but that has not come without waste.

As of Dec. 1, approximately 10.8 million doses of Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax COVID-19 vaccines held domestically in the federal inventory have been disposed of or are awaiting disposal due to expiry, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

Additionally, 13.6 million AstraZeneca doses purchased by Canada also had to be discarded by the manufacturer before they could be used, PHAC told Global News.

Vaccine wastage to some extent is almost inevitable in any epidemic as more is usually ordered than needed, but the “high volume” of doses binned by Canada is “very concerning” as it highlights the cracks in the health-care system, said Kerry Bowman, a professor of bioethics and global health at the University of Toronto.

“Buying more than we needed can be quite reasonable if you have a solid plan for surplus,” he said.

“A lot of effort went into getting the vaccines, obviously, but it really highlights the huge weaknesses within the Canadian system in terms of data sharing and tracking.”

PHAC says there are barriers to putting vaccines in people’s arms due to limited global demand and challenges with distribution and uptake in recipient countries.

Other countries have also reported vaccine wastage during the COVID-19 pandemic.