Japan's Health Ministry Reveals Probable Cause of Moderna Vaccine Contamination
Last week, about 1.63 million doses of the Moderna vaccine produced in Spain were suspended in Japan after the nation's Health Ministry detected alien substances in some of the vials. Two men died after getting their second shot of the Moderna vaccine from the contaminated batch.
The Health Ministry of Japan has stated that the contamination of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that led to the suspension of over a million doses in Okinawa was likely caused by needles being incorrectly stuck into vials.
The country's Health Minister Norihisa Tamura told reporters that it was not uncommon for foreign material to enter a vial with other vaccines, adding that there is no safety or other concerns regarding the use of vaccines. The ministry also pledged to further gather information and report back on the situation.
On the same day, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. published the numbers of batches with contaminated vaccines — 3004667, 3004734, and 3004956. The vaccines from those lots were reportedly distributed to 863 vaccination centres across the country.
Later in the week, Japanese media outlets reported that two middle-aged men died in the country after getting their second shot of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine from a contaminated batch. Both of the deceased reportedly got their shots before the ministry suspended the faulty batch.
On 29 August, the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa also announced the discovery of foreign materials in several vials of Moderna's vaccine from different batches than the ones that had already been suspended.
- Source : Nikita Folomov - Sputnik News
