No proof missing vaccine vial was stolen - audit
Published:Tuesday | March 23, 2021 | 4:42 PM
The much-anticipated audit to determine what became of one vial of COVID-19 vaccine, which recently went missing at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay, St James, has found no evidence of corruption or misconduct.
A report by Darrion Thompson, the senior internal auditor at the Western Regional Health Authority, however, cited gaps in the internal controls which led to a vial of 10 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine not being accounted for.
“It was also difficult to conclude whether the vial may have been used and inadvertently discarded. The figures presented for the total number of patients vaccinated were analysed, but it was difficult to conclude on the total number of vials used to vaccinate these patients,” the report said.
“This was because the number of doses that could be drawn from a vial is inconsistent (ranging from nine to 11 doses) and there was no record to confirm the amount drawn from each vial."
The audit has recommended an overhaul in the oversight of the vaccination project to address gaps in established operating procedures as well as internal control deficiencies.
On March 8, Jamaica received its first 50,000 doses of vaccines, donated by the Government of India, and on Monday, March 15, received 14,400 doses under the COVAX facility.
The country started administering the vaccine on March 10, exactly one year after the first case of the virus was confirmed in Jamaica.
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