Last Updated on August 28, 2021
Japan has withdrawn 1.6 million doses of the Moderna vaccine after the Ministry of Health discovered contamination in the vials.
According to Nikkei Asia, one of Japan’s most prominent publications, Japan has pulled 1.6 million Moderna vaccines from use due to contamination. The Ministry of Health said the substance contaminating the vials may have been metal. “It’s a substance that reacts to magnets,” a ministry official said. “It could be metal.”
Takeda Pharmaceutical handles distribution of the U.S.-developed Moderna vaccine in Japan.
Nasdaq-listed Moderna confirmed receiving “several complaints of particulate matter” in vaccine vials distributed in Japan but said it had found “no safety or efficacy issues” related to these reports.
“The company is investigating the reports and remains committed to working transparently and expeditiously with its partner, Takeda, and regulators to address any potential concerns,” a Moderna spokesperson told Nikkei, saying the drugmaker believed a “manufacturing issue” at a plant in Spain was the cause.
In related news, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett recently declared that the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine “has faded against” the Delta variant, adding that people “must quickly get vaccinated with the third dose.”
National File reported that this week, Joe Biden confirmed that he is in talks with Dr. Anthony Fauci about suggesting booster shots of the controversial Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine every five months. Originally, Americans were told two shots would be all that is required, then annual boosters, then 8 month boosters, then six month boosters, and now five month boosters. Assuming the Pfizer vaccine is never cleared for children younger than 12, this would mean children born today could receive 175 shots aimed at vaccinating them against COVID-19 over the course of an average lifespan.
