TOKYO — Health officials in Japan on Thursday announced they were halting the use of more than 1.6 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine after some vaccination sites reported finding contaminated vials.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., a Japanese drugmaker in charge of sales and distribution of the vaccine in Japan, said it decided to suspend the use of doses as a safety precaution, according to NPR.
The New York Times, citing a report from public broadcaster NHK, said that unspecified contaminants were found in nearly 40 doses of the vaccine at eight locations across the country.
“To date, no safety or efficacy issues have been identified,” Moderna said in a statement. “The company is investigating the reports and remains committed to working expeditiously with its partner, Takeda, and regulators to address this.”
In a statement, Takeda Pharmaceutical said that it had asked Moderna to carry out an urgent investigation into the cause of the problem, the Times reported.
Tokyo, which hosted the Summer Olympics, is currently hosting the Paralympics, which opened on Tuesday, the newspaper reported. Since Aug. 12, 184 people associated with the Paralympics have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Times.
Katsunobu Kato, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, told reporters the government and Takeda are discussing ways to minimize the impact on Japan’s vaccination progress, NPR reported.
“We will do utmost in order to avoid any impact on vaccination progress, especially at worksites and large-scale centers,” Kato told reporters.
According to NPR, about 43% of the Japanese population have been fully vaccinated, with daily doses of about 1 million.
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