A DRAMATIC drop in the number of people coming forward for Covid booster jabs has led to out-of-date vaccines being destroyed for the first time by a Belfast pharmacist.
Terry Maguire, who is based in the west of the city, said uptake fell "signifcantly" after Christmas and that some supplies ordered in December have expired.
The high-profile pharmacist warned that many people "wrongly" believe they no longer need vaccinated and urged those who had not received a first or second dose to get immunised.
Just over 58 per cent of the Northern Ireland population aged 12 and over have received booster doses, according to latest government figures.
Mr Maguire told The Irish News: "I have, for the first time, experienced wastage since January 1. We have been very strict in the protocols we have in the pharmacy so we try and avoid as much as possible any wastage.
"Unfortunately I had to record last week that I had to destroy five vials (equating to 100 boosters) of vaccine. I’ve never done that before.
"Since the new year we’ve had a significant reduction in vaccine uptake, particularly the booster. We’ve also seen a big fallback on the number of first and second vaccinations.
"Between September and December, the boosters were the main driver of our vaccination service. We would have had twice or three times the number of boosters compared to first and second doses.
"It was the busiest we’ve ever been. We’re a small pharmacy and every pharmacy across the city experienced the same demand. That was great, we were delighted to be able to provide the capacity that’s needed and do that in conjunction with GPs etc...But it certainly died a death in January."
Fears about the impact of the Omicron variant saw demand for booster shots soar at the end of last year, with people queuing for hours outside vaccination centres.
Pharmacies and GP practices were also inundated with requests.
The Moderna vaccines used by pharmacies have a shelf life of 28 days as they are delivered in a thawed state.
However, once a vial is opened, it must be used within six hours. Bigger vaccination centres based at hospitals receive frozen vaccines and have the capacity to store them.
Government ministers in the Republic were last month informed that 100,000 booster vaccines had recently expired while up to half-a-million doses were due to go out-of-date within weeks if uptake didn't improve.
Another factor in reduced demand over the past month is that those who contract the virus must have a 28-day gap before they can get jabbed.
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland said it does not currently hold figures on out-of-date booster doses but conceded it "expects" there will be expired vaccine "which cannot be used" and pointed to a "considerable downturn" in demand since late December.
A department spokeswoman added that an extension has been added to the expiry date of existing thawed Pfizer vaccine, so she was "not yet in a position to provide data".
Mr Maguire said pharmacists were legally required to submit vaccine "wastage" records to the Health and Social Care Board on a weekly basis.
The Irish News contacted the Board for comment.
The west Belfast pharmacist added that in percentage terms the number of doses destroyed was "very small" given the 3,000 jabs he had delivered in total - but said it was still a significant development.
"I think there’s a feeling out there - and it's wrong - that this issue has been resolved. People who were holding back have decided not to get vaccinated," he said.
"So I would be urging people to reconsider that position. Anyone who is naive and hasn’t had their first vaccine is still at significant risk.
"Those of us who’ve been vaccinated and get Omicron will probably be fine but the evidence is very clear that people who have had no vaccinations and do get Omicron will suffer badly.
"That’s manifested in the number of people who are in A&E and hospital because of Covid who are unvaccinated."
Meanwhile, as a u-turn on mandatory Covid jabs for NHS staff in England is expected, Mr Maguire slated frontline workers opposed to vaccination.
"I just think it’s unethical for anyone working with healthcare patients not to have been vaccinated. That’s my stance on it," he said.
"The evidence is very clear on the problems created by people who refuse to get vaccinated...and they need to consider the ethics of that.
"Vaccines are safe and effective. We have proved that over the past 18 months. A lot of the anti-vaxxer sentiment has been disproved to the point where it’s complete and utter nonsense. I think most of us are getting pretty impatient with people who continue down this route."
