Authorities said on Saturday that two people died in Japan after receiving a “contaminated” dose of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna.
Officials from the country’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said that the two deceased were both around 30 years old. Each of them received the Moderna vaccine, one of the three batches of vaccines suspended by the authorities on Thursday. CCTV News Report.
The authorities said these people died within a few days of receiving the injection, but pointed out that they have not yet found a causal link between the death and the vaccine. The Japanese government is currently investigating the death toll.
“At present, no link between these deaths and Moderna vaccine has been confirmed, but we believe it is important to conduct a formal investigation to further investigate this matter,” Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which distributes Moderna vaccine in Japan, said in a statement. statement.
NHK Public Broadcasting Corporation stated that the contaminants found in some vials are believed to be metal particles. However, Fumie Sakamoto, infection control manager at St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo, warned against linking vaccine doses to the number of deaths during the investigation.
“There may only be a time relationship between vaccination and death,” Sakamoto said Reuters“We still don’t know that there are too many things to make any conclusions about these two cases.”
Japan has suspended 1.63 million doses Moderna vaccine, and the country’s Ministry of Health conducted an investigation with Takeda. The suspension batch numbers are 3004667, 3004734, and 3004956, which have been distributed to more than 860 vaccination points nationwide.
Moderna and Takeda Pharmaceutical later issued a joint statement in which they expressed condolences to the families of the two and said they would conduct an investigation to determine whether the death was related to the shooting.
“This is a tragic incident. The loss of life is something we take very seriously. We express our most sincere condolences to their loved ones,” Joint Statement read. “At present, we do not have any evidence that these deaths were caused by the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. It is important to conduct a formal investigation to determine whether there is any connection.”
Japan has suspended the use of some batches of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine due to contamination
Photo: AFP/Beruz More
