Japan stops use of 1.63 million Moderna COVID-19 vaccine （モデルナワクチンに異物 160万回分の接種を見合わせ）

*モデルナワクチンに異物 160万回分の接種を見合わせ*

Japan stops use of 1.63 million Moderna COVID-19 vaccine

About 1.6 million doses of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine have been taken out of use in Japan because of contamination reported in some vials, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said early Thursday. Foreign substances were found one after another in some of Moderna’s new coronavirus vaccines, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare decided to stop the use of vaccines manufactured in the same process. The total number of vaccines covered is about 1.6 million, and no health hazards have been reported so far.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, since 16th of this month, a total of 39 unused containers have foreign substances in 8 of the moderna vaccination sites in Tokyo, Saitama, Ibaraki, Aichi, and Gifu prefectures. Was found to be mixed. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, which handles distribution in Japan, has asked Moderna to investigate, but at this point it has not been possible to identify what the foreign substance is.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare received a report from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited on the 25th and decided to suspend the use of vaccines manufactured in the same process. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, there have been no reports of health hazards so far, but if you have already been vaccinated and have any abnormalities in your physical condition, please consult your doctor.

The vaccine lot number is

According to Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, if you look at the “certificate of inoculation”, you can check the “lot number” that indicates when and where the inoculated vaccine was manufactured.

This time, there are three types of vaccine lot numbers,

▽ “3004667”

▽ “3004734”

▽ “3004956”, for which the suspicion of contamination with foreign substances cannot be denied