Japan’s Ministry of Health has announced the withdrawal of more than 1.6 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine due to contamination. A foreign substance was found in the ampoules intended for disposal with the drug Moderna. For this reason, the entire batch of the drug, delivered to Japan, was decommissioned.
According to the Japanese agency Kyodo, impurities the size of a few millimeters were found in 39 vials. It is still unknown which foreign substances are part of Moderna drugs. The company is investigating this issue. According to the Ministry of Health of Japan, the first reports of contaminated vaccines appeared on August 16, but only yesterday the company responsible for their distribution provided information to the ministry.
At the same time, there was a call for greater caution in assessing the status of vaccines against COVID-19, regardless of the manufacturer. The vaccine distributor in Japan has assured that it will try to ensure that the abolition of more than one and a half million doses of Moderna vaccine does not adversely affect the availability of drugs.
The consignment of contaminated vaccine has reached more than 850 vaccination points, from where it will be withdrawn. At present, 10 million doses of Moderna have been introduced in Japan. Japan is expected to receive another 50 million doses by the end of September.