“Not necessarily appropriate” Japan’s Audit Commission found grounds for ordering 882 million doses of coronavirus vaccines on March 30, NHK reported.
That verdict was published in the commission’s report on the review of the government’s vaccine introduction program and related costs. The report reminds that some orders have been cancelled, which has generated cancellation fees. Also, many doses of drugs were discarded after the expiration date.
The Commission stated that there was insufficient evidence in the Japanese Ministry of Health reports to determine the number of doses purchased. He urged the ministry to ensure that, even in emergency situations, the validity of its decisions can be verified later.
Japan’s Ministry of Health canceled orders for more than 200 million doses of the vaccine, of which 62.25 million units were of the AstraZeneca drug. The commission said the ministry could not confirm whether the cancellation fees specified in the contracts with AstraZeneca were appropriate. The commission also advised the ministry to discuss the validity of the tariffs in future negotiations with vaccine manufacturers.
A spokesman for the Japanese Health Ministry said the ministry was trying to make sure enough doses were available in case any of the manufacturers were unable to deliver. The official promised to make improvements to the reports, adding that the ministry would confirm the validity of the cancellation fees in ongoing negotiations.
Let’s remember that during the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Japanese government signed contracts with several vaccine manufacturers. A total of about 4.2 trillion yen (about 2.44 trillion rubles at current exchange rates) was spent on the introduction of the vaccine in fiscal years 2020 and 2021, including the cost of administering the drug.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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