Nepal Grapples with Disposal of Expired Sinovac Vaccines

The Health Ministry is currently engaging with vaccine specialists regarding the disposal of four million doses of the Sinovac-CoronaVac Covid-19 vaccine, which expired in December of the previous year, according to officials' reports.

Despite having received these vaccine doses as a charitable donation from China roughly two years ago, health officials chose not to distribute them.

Dr. Prakash Budhathoky, the spokesperson for the Health Ministry, stated, “We are actively seeking guidance from specialists on the proper disposal methods for these four million coronavirus vaccine doses.” “Consultations have already taken place with professionals from the World Health Organisation, national vaccine experts, and the National Immunisation Advisory Committee regarding cost-effective and environmentally responsible disposal methods.”

Authorities have disclosed that they are also seeking insight from experts at Chinese vaccine manufacturing firms for advice on disposing of the vaccines. Among the various disposal methods recommended by these specialists are chemical treatment and heat sterilization.

China provided aid by supplying four million doses of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine. The government dispatched aircraft to transfer these vaccines from China, which had a viability period of two years. Consequently, health authorities opted to prioritize other vaccines with shorter expiration times.

Subsequently, through COVAX—the international vaccine distribution initiative endorsed by the United Nations—Nepal received an adequate supply of other COVID-19 vaccines, rendering the use of Sinovac-CoronaVac jabs unnecessary.

Dr. Budhathoky remarked that "the National Immunisation Advisory Committee did not approve the use of Sinovac-CoronaVac jabs for booster shots and there was a lack of recipients for initial and subsequent doses upon delivery."

Nepal has administered Covid-19 vaccines originating from a variety of nations including China, India, Japan, several European countries, and the United States. Vaccines such as AstraZeneca, Vero Cell, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Moderna have been used across the country.

The Health Ministry has noted that new cases of coronavirus are emerging across different regions. They continue to urge citizens to practice public health guidelines like mask-wearing, frequent hand washing, and avoiding large gatherings.

Furthermore, Nepal has confirmed local cases of the JN.1 subvariant of coronavirus. Out of 16 swab specimens subject to whole-genome sequencing at the National Public Health Laboratory, seven were found to contain this subvariant—accounting for approximately 44 percent of tested samples.

The World Health Organisation has categorized JN.1 as a distinct 'variant of interest' due to its swift proliferation globally. Nevertheless, based on current data assessments by the UN agency suggest that this variant poses a low additional risk to public health.

A surge in coronavirus infections has been reported in countries including China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore. The JN.1 strain was initially identified in September in America and is an offshoot of BA.2.86—one of Omicron's highly mutated variants.

Health Ministry personnel claimed they've been apprised of the associated risks and instructed to enhance their surveillance efforts accordingly.

During Nepal’s first three waves of the Covid pandemic over 12 thousand people passed away and several hundred thousand were infected. Following reduced infection rates with the Omicron variant in 2021, public health measures have eased up.