- Third Man in Japan Dies After Receiving Dose From Suspended Moderna Vaccine.
- The injection came from identical batches with stainless steel pieces, prompting a recall of 1.63 million doses.
- Contaminated bits from vial stoppers were also found in Okinawa, Gunma and Kanagawa.
A third man has died in Japan after receiving an injection from one of three batches of Moderna vaccines since identified as contaminated; though authorities say no causal link has yet been found, reports The Guardian.
The 49-year-old man had his second shot and died the next day. His only known health concern was a buckwheat allergy, and the ministry said it had not yet determined whether the newest death was linked to the vaccine, as it had with the other two deaths.
Foreign Particles
The injection came from identical batches with stainless steel pieces, prompting a recall of 1.63 million doses of the Moderna vaccine. Moderna contracted the fabrication of the three batches in Spain.
The company has yet to comment on the most recent fatality. Still, last week issued a joint statement with local distributor Takeda Pharmaceutical, saying: “The rare presence of stainless steel particles in the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine does not pose an undue risk to patient safety, and it does not adversely affect the benefit/risk profile of the product.”
Contaminated batches
In Okinawa, Gunma, and Kanagawa, contaminants thought to be rubber bits from vial stoppers that infiltrated the vaccine liquid due to poorly inserted needles were discovered. Those injected with the tainted vaccines, which were from different batches than the previously recalled ones, had no difficulties. According to Taro Kono, the minister in charge of the immunization program, more than 500,000 people have been shot with vaccines from the three flawed batches. About 136 million coronavirus doses have been administered in Japan, with 48 percent of the population receiving complete vaccination and more than 59 percent receiving at least one shot.
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Source: The Guardian
