A foreign substance was found in a vial of Moderna vaccine in Japan and Kanagawa prefecture, after Okinawa.
According to the BBC, a pharmacist spotted several black particles in a vaccine vial.
About 3.790 people had already been vaccinated against the batch, while the rest has been suspended.
The pharmacist found the black particles during the test for foreign substances before using the vaccine. The home dispenser of the vaccine has collected the vial which is suspected to be contaminated.
There is currently no evidence of health risks posed by the infected vaccine.
The Spanish pharmaceutical company Rovi, which bottles the vaccine, said in a statement that a production line in Spain could be the cause of the problem. He added that he is conducting research on the subject.
It is noted that Takeda Pharmaceutical, which sells and distributes the vaccine in the country, last week suspended the use of three batches of the vaccine after "foreign materials" were found in doses of one batch of about 560.000 vials.
The Japanese health minister said it was very likely that the impurities found in vaccines in Okinawa, in southern Japan, came from piercing the vials with the syringe needle.
Some doses of Moderna vaccines were temporarily discontinued in Okinawa on Sunday after contaminants were found in vials and syringes. The Japanese Ministry of Health later announced that the syringes may not have been placed correctly in the vials and that pieces of their rubber stopper may have broken.
"Whatever the reason (for the impurities) we have heard that it is not a safety issue or other issues," Health Minister Norichisa Tamura told reporters, adding that it is not uncommon for foreign particles to enter a vial, as is the case. and with other vaccines.
"We will continue to gather information and inform about it," he added.
Japan is facing its largest wave of new coronavirus since the pandemic broke out, due to the virus' most contagious Delta strain.
The fight to boost vaccinations in the country has been hampered by delays in vaccine imports and the detection of impurities in certain doses of the Moderna vaccine, which led to the suspension of three batches last week.
Taro Kono, the minister in charge of the vaccination campaign, said today that he wanted to speed up the delivery of vaccines to municipalities that were forced to stop booking vaccination appointments due to shortages.
The Japanese government is now considering when and how to grant booster vaccine COVID-19, which may need to be done to maintain immunity to the virus, but is currently focusing on completing the world vaccination with the first two doses.
Source: Cnn.gr