Vaccines: examiners criticize the way they are procured

Initially, vaccine doses were “voluntarily” dispensed with. The subsequent order quantity above the quota provided for the number of inhabitants, on the other hand, may have led to a “discard” of vaccine, according to a special report requested by the SPÖ.

The overall cost framework and thus the scope for action for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines were increased from “up to 200 million euros” to “up to 1.252 billion euros” between July 2020 and July 2021. By February 2022, the Ministry of Health had made commitments of 1.085 billion euros.

The Court of Auditors recommends clearly defining the responsibilities for vaccine procurement and preparing a “comprehensible overall cost framework” for future projects in a timely manner. There should also be measures to avoid the expiration of the best-before date of vaccines as far as possible.