Three Out of Ten COVID-19 Vaccines Purchased with Taxpayer Money Discarded Due to Expiration

66.18 Million Doses Discarded Out of 229.64 Million Supplied
KDCA: "Other Countries Also Saw Similar Levels of Disposal"

It has been found that approximately three out of every ten COVID-19 vaccine doses introduced in South Korea have been discarded.

According to data obtained from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) by Kim Mi-ae, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, a total of 229.64 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been introduced since 2020 as of May 4, 2026. Of these, 152.66 million doses had been administered by the end of March this year, and 10.24 million doses were donated to other countries. The remaining 66.18 million doses were discarded, accounting for 28.8% of the total. Most of the discarded doses, 65.81 million (99.4%), were thrown away because their expiration dates had passed.

An elderly person visiting a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul is receiving a COVID-19 vaccination.

The amount of discarded vaccines has increased each year. Annual discarded volumes were 1.7 million doses in 2021, 10.07 million doses in 2022, 18.75 million doses in 2023, and 33.28 million doses in 2024. Vaccines nearing their expiration dates were not redistributed but were discarded as they were. The overall unit cost of the discarded vaccines has not been disclosed. A KDCA official stated, "Due to confidentiality clauses in advance purchase agreements, it is difficult to disclose the unit price and contract terms."

The KDCA explained that the large quantity of discarded vaccines was inevitable as it actively responded to COVID-19, and added that similar situations have occurred in other countries as well.

A KDCA official said, "In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, every country was desperate to secure vaccines, and Korea was no exception. However, as time passed, the virus mutated in various ways, and more people chose not to get vaccinated, leading to an increase in the amount of discarded vaccines." The official continued, "The United States and European countries do not officially disclose the amount of vaccines discarded, but it can be assumed that they have discarded much larger quantities than Korea. This is a global trend." The KDCA stated that it attempted to minimize vaccine disposal by promoting overseas donations, but this was not always successful, making disposal due to expiration unavoidable.

Assemblywoman Kim stated, "It is a serious issue that a significant portion of vaccines secured with taxpayers' money has been discarded," and pointed out, "Given the increasing trend in disposal, it is necessary to review the entire inventory management system and adjust procurement volumes in line with demand changes." She added, "It is essential to establish a comprehensive response system that covers not only procurement but also utilization and management, and to improve policies to prevent similar issues from recurring in future infectious disease responses."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.