NL to buy better syringes to reduce vaccine wastage

The Netherlands is looking into buying better syringes and needles, so that more vaccine doses can be gotten from each vial, Jaap van Delden of public health institute RIVM said in a briefing to parliament. Less liquid remains in these syringes, which means there is less wastage, NOS reports.

Hospitals already use such syringes, because they already had them for other treatments. But supplies are running out. The Netherlands is now trying to buy more of them, Van Delden said.

He also confirmed that health service GGD employees are currently discarding the little bit of vaccine that remains in a vial after six doses are taken from it, while hospitals are using those leftovers, filling them up from the next vial. That is allowed and the RIVM is training the GGDs to use as much of the vaccine as possible, Van Delden said.