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1.6 Million Doses of Moderna Vaccine Recalled in Japan Over Contamination Fears


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Ever notice how the Left and their allies in the media keep telling us to “trust the experts” as though the experts can’t possibly do something wrong?

Well, the experts have done something wrong.

It has been confirmed that 1.6 million doses of the Moderna vaccine in Japan were recalled.

Why?

Due to contamination concerns.

But wait: the story gets even weirder.

According to Japan’s ministry official, the substance in the Moderna vaccine reacts to magnets.

Yes, magnets.

It is feared that metal could have somehow contaminated 1.6 million doses of the Moderna vaccine.

More details below:

This news comes as vaccine mandates continue to gain steam.

This underscores the threat of even more government mandates and rushing through approval processes.

Nikkei Asia confirms that 1.6 million vaccine doses have been recalled:

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.

Several vaccination centers have reported that vaccine vials contained foreign matter, according to an announcement from the ministry, which added it will seek to minimize the impact of the withdrawal on the country’s inoculation program.

The ministry said later in the day that the substance that had been mixed in 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.

The vaccine lot in question and two adjacent lots have been put on hold “out of an abundance of caution,” the spokesperson said.

The Japanese ministry has not halted the use of Moderna vaccines in other batches, deeming them safe.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Thursday afternoon that he had instructed the ministry to look into the case with safety as the top priority, adding he had received reports that the withdrawal “won’t have a significant impact on the country’s vaccination campaign.”

Only the Pfizer vaccine has received full FDA approval.

The Moderna vaccine is still only under emergency-use authorization.

Can you imagine if those vaccine doses had been in circulation in the United States?

To make matters worse, this doesn’t appear to be an isolated incident.

Early reports indicate that at least 8 different vaccine sites in Japan were impacted.

The New York Times reports:

The Japanese health authorities on Thursday announced that they would halt the use of over 1.6 million doses of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine after some vaccination sites reported finding tainted vials.

The problem comes as Japan, which initially struggled to get its vaccination program into full gear, confronts its worst wave of Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began, raising concerns that medical systems in some parts of the country could be overwhelmed.

Unspecified contaminants were discovered in nearly 40 doses of the vaccine at eight locations across Japan, prompting the decision to pull the lot that included them, as well as two other lots produced at the same location, the public broadcaster NHK reported.

In a statement, Takeda Pharmaceutical, the company that distributes the shots in Japan, said that it had asked Moderna to carry out an urgent investigation into the cause of the problem. Takeda did not report any concerns about health issues arising from use of the tainted vials.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the chief cabinet secretary, Katsunobu Kato, said that an unknown number of people had been vaccinated with the contaminated doses, but that the government had received no reports of ill effects. He urged people with concerns to consult their doctors.

After getting off to a slow start, Japan is now administering over a million vaccine doses each day. Currently, about 43 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. In addition to Moderna, Japan has approved the use of vaccines produced by Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

It is still unclear how this news will impact Japan’s vaccination efforts.

Will the public be more hesitant?

Or will it be as though nothing happened?

Only time will tell.



 

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