The Ministry of Health has confirmed the destruction of nearly two million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including over half a million expired units, with a total value exceeding P16 million. This disclosure comes amid parliamentary inquiries into vaccine safety and administration practices in Botswana.
Responding to questions from Leepetswe Lesedi, Member of Parliament for Serowe South, Assistant Minister of Health Lawrence Ookeditse provided detailed clarifications. He noted that the destroyed vaccines; 1,917,101 doses in total, including 500,128 expired units; represent 7.9 percent of the country’s entire COVID-19 vaccine supply. Crucially, Ookeditse emphasized that no expired doses were administered to the public. “No member of the public in Botswana was offered or administered expired Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines,” he stated, assuring that all shelf-life extensions were approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in line with international safety standards.
Lesedi’s inquiry sought to uncover whether any expired vaccines had been given to citizens and requested specific figures regarding expired Pfizer shots administered locally. He also pressed for information on who authorized the extension of vaccine shelf lives and asked about any deaths linked to COVID-19 vaccinations. Further questions focused on when the expiry of vaccines was detected, how expiry dates are determined considering storage and environmental factors, and the medical rationale and risks associated with extending expiry dates. Lesedi also asked about other expired vaccines available locally, the quantities destroyed, and the environmental measures taken during disposal. Finally, he inquired about any long-term health effects experienced by Batswana following vaccination.
In his response, Ookeditse explained that all COVID-19 vaccines authorized in Botswana received emergency use approval from national regulatory bodies and the WHO. He pointed out that the initial limited shelf lives reflected evolving scientific understanding of vaccine stability at the time of their first approvals. “Shelf-life studies of the COVID-19 vaccines were ongoing and adjusted as data on stability emerged,” he said.
Detailing Botswana’s Pfizer vaccine experience, Ookeditse revealed the country had received 463,098 doses by August 8, 2022. Early shipments arriving in June, September, and November 2022 came with six-month shelf lives and were distributed and used within their valid periods. He clarified that expiry date extensions were not decided unilaterally by Botswana but were granted by the WHO after rigorous scientific stability studies conducted by manufacturers and reviewed by global regulatory agencies. “Expiry date extensions were approved by the World Health Organization, in consultation with other international regulatory bodies such as the United States Food and Drug Administration, United Kingdom regulatory authorities, and the European Union.”
Addressing safety concerns, Ookeditse declared, “No deaths have been attributed to the administration of expired COVID-19 vaccines, as expired vaccines were not used.” He assured that all adverse events following immunization were investigated according to national and international pharmacovigilance guidelines.
The Assistant Minister described how expiry dates account for storage conditions, handling, and temperature requirements, including Pfizer’s ultra-low storage at minus 80 degrees Celsius. He noted that any changes to expiry dates are formally communicated to member states post regulatory approval.
Vaccines that reached expiry before use were never offered to the public. These included limited quantities of AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Sinovac vaccines, which could not be utilized due to reduced demand as the pandemic stabilized. “All expired vaccines were withdrawn from health facilities nationwide. A total of 1,917,101 doses were destroyed. Disposal was conducted through centralised high-temperature incineration.”
Out of a total 6,326,694 COVID-19 vaccines received in Botswana, 500,128 expired, representing 7.9 percent of the entire supply. The monetary value of the expired and destroyed vaccines stands at P16,909,236.00. To minimize environmental harm, particularly to soil and groundwater, the destruction employed approved high-temperature incineration methods.
Reiterating the government’s position, the minister stated, “No evidence expired COVID-19 vaccines were administered to Batswana, and therefore, no population-level long-term health effects can be attributed to expired vaccines.”