Covid, what will happen to vaccine stocks after the end of the pandemic? – breaking latest news

When will we be able to put an end to the Covid pandemic? According to various experts – such as the virologist Giorgio Pal, president of Aifa (Italian Medicines Agency), interviewed by Corriere della Sera
— the World Health Organization (WHO) takes time for reasons of prudence, but in practice we are approaching an endemic, or post-pandemic phasein which the virus will continue to circulate but with a constant number of cases over time and seasonal variations (such as the flu). This does not mean that serious cases and deaths will disappear: in Italy, for example, the latest bulletin from the Ministry of Health (data from 14-20 April) shows that new infections are on the rise compared to the previous week (27,982 compared to 21,779), as are deaths (191 vs 129). limited overall impact on hospitalsbut with a slightly increasing bed occupancy rate in both medical and intensive care areas.

The fragile must protect themselves

Albeit with some ups and downs, the grip of the virus eased around the world, so much so that on April 11, US President Joe Biden signed the law that puts an end to the Covid emergency in the United States. In Italy, the state of emergency (declared on 31 January 2020) ended over a year ago, on 31 March 2022, by order of the Council of Ministers. However, it remains important to protect ourselves with the weapons we have available, because the infection is not always satisfied with causing a cold or a little more. The opportunity is reiterated, in particular for people at greater risk of developing a serious illness, to continue to adopt measures such as the use of the mask, ventilation of the premises, hand hygiene and pay attention to situations of assembly – reads the ‘latest report from the Ministry of Health —. The high vaccination coverage, the completion of vaccination courses and maintaining an elevated immune response through the booster dose represent important tools to mitigate the clinical impact of the epidemic.

Vaccination campaigns stopped

The anti-Covid vaccines will therefore not end up in the attic. But a legitimate question: given the high coverage achieved in many countries of the world (with the exception of the African continent, Russia, some Eastern European and Middle Eastern countries) and the vaccination campaigns now stoppedwhat will become of the stocks that the various countries have secured in the toughest months of the pandemic and that risk remaining unused (as well as expiring)? In recent days the Minister of Health Horace Schillaci he said that in the autumn the Covid vaccination will be recommended to frail patients and the elderly (as suggested by the ECDC, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control) and that we have no problem with stocks. So no shortage, if anything the opposite.

Contracts with pharmaceutical companies

The question of doses in excess of demand was raised as early as 2022 by EU member states who asked the European Commission to renegotiate the contracts signed with pharmaceutical companies for the supply of anti-Covid vaccines. Some countries have proposed the simple cancellation of the agreements. But the pharmaceutical companies, strengthened by the documents signed in the midst of the pandemic, have not shown themselves willing to renegotiate. Today the States find themselves tied to heavy contracts, with which they are committed to buying doses of vaccines in quantities that were very difficult to size at the time appropriately, given that the evolution of the pandemic was unpredictable. The European Commission has discouraged unilateral changes to the contractual conditions which have already been approved. However, it is the states that decide on health policy. Therefore the Commission has been working with member countries and vaccine manufacturers with the aim of align contracts with the current situation, said Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides. However, the commissioner noted, vaccine manufacturers are not willing to reduce the number of doses at the moment.

The case of Poland

According to reports the information site Euractive
stata in Polandlast year, it became the first European country to attempt to renegotiate its agreement with Pfizer, as it could no longer afford to pay for supplies due to the costs of hosting Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. The Commission has given Poland (exceptionally) the green light to renegotiate the agreement on an individual basis but, although talks began about a year ago, no agreement has yet been reached. In March, the health ministers of Bulgaria, Poland, Lithuania and Hungary again asked the Commission to renegotiate the conditions for the supply of Pfizer vaccines. The Commission should seek opportunities to further negotiate with Pfizer, in particular on payments for non-delivery, reducing the number of contracted doses, or to take the initiative itself and buy surplus vaccines from member states to donate them to needy regions, the ministers said.

The situation in Italy

As reported by Euractive
according to the European agreements Italy should receive 61.1 million doses. Unused doses will likely be 173 million, including those currently in stock. All of this could cost the country about 3 billion euros. Also Minister Schillaciin December, asked the EU Commission to renegotiate contracts with vaccine suppliers, asking to return to buy them on a national basis (and no longer referring to Europe, as happened on the occasion of the Covid pandemic). The waste of vaccines, said the minister, would be difficult for our public opinion to understand; on the contrary, it would risk generating paradoxically a sense of disaffection with future vaccination campaigns. In 2020, the European Commission ordered doses of the Covid vaccine on behalf of member states. Several manufacturers, including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Novavax and Sanofi, have signed agreements with the Commission. Today, thanks to grouped purchases of vaccines, 70% of the European population vaccinated said Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides. In Italy, 90% of the over 12 population has received the complete vaccination cycle.