Coronavirus: Malawi don become di first African kontri to burn ova 19,000 expired vaccine

Health authorities for Malawi don burn 19,610 expired doses of di AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.

Dem say dis go reassure di public say any vaccines dem collect dey safe.

Malawi go be di first African kontri to publicly do dis.

Di World Health Organization bin done tell kontris make dem no destroy expired doses but now dem don change di advice.

Pipo wey show to collect vaccine for Malawi low and health workers hope say dis move go ginger public confidence.

For dia population of about 18 million pipo, di kontri get record of 34,232 confirmed cases and 1,153 deaths.

Malawi bin receive 102,000 doses of di AstraZeneca vaccine from di African Union on 26 March and use almost 80% of dem.

But di expiry date wey dey di labels na 13 April so dem remove di vials from di cold chain dem take store am.

Malawi principal health secretary tell BBC say e dey unfortunate say dey gatz destroy di vials but di benefits of doing pass di risks.

"Wen news spread say we get vaccines wey don expire, we notice say pipo no dey come our clinics to get immnunisation again," na so Dr Charles Mwansambo tok.

"If we no burn dem, pipo go think say we dey use expired vaccines for our facilities..."

Dr Mwansambo explain say one of di reasons health workers no use di vaccines before na because e dey hard to ginger adults to collect di vaccine.

Malawi no be di only kontri for Africa to get expired vaccines. Di WHO bin ask affected countries to keep di vaccines until dem fit establish whether e go still dey good for use.

But dem tok now say make kontris destroy vaccines wey don expire.

WHO advise say make manufacturers comot di expired doses from di distribution chain and safely dispose am.

Oda vaccines wey dey now fit stay up to 36 months.

Di challenge wit Covid-19 vaccines na say e just dey in use for less dan a year and no correct data dey around dia effectiveness afta long periods.