Over 200 fall ill after drinking contaminated water in Greater Noida
Over 200 residents of a society in Greater Noida fell ill after allegedly consuming contaminated water.
Japan suspended the use of about 1.63 million doses of Moderna vaccine Thursday after contamination was found in unused vials, raising concern of a supply shortage as the country tries to accelerate vaccinations amid a COVID-19 surge.
The health ministry said the contamination was reported from multiple vaccination sites. Some doses might have been administered, but no adverse health effects have been reported so far, officials said.
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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 manufactured in the same production line as a safety precaution. It asked Moderna to conduct an emergency investigation and told medical institutions and organizers to stop using the vaccine produced in Spain and shared the production numbers that may be affected.
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The Moderna vaccine problem came just as Japan struggles with surging infections, with daily new cases hitting new highs in many parts of the country and severely straining the health care system.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters the government and Takeda are discussing ways to minimize the impact on Japan’s vaccination progress.
“We will do utmost in order to avoid any impact on vaccination progress, especially at worksites and large-scale centers,” Kato said.
Japan relies entirely on foreign-developed vaccines by Moderna, as well as Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca. Moderna has been since mid-June at large-scale centers and workplace inoculations and has helped speed up Japan’s rollout.
About 43% of the Japanese population have been fully vaccinated, with daily doses of about 1 million.
Reports of contamination also came from seven other vaccination centers, according to the Japan Times, with 39 vials – or 390 doses – found to have been affected.
The health ministry has published the batch numbers so that people who had received their shot before the suspension could check if they have got a potentially contaminated shot, Japan Times added.
Japan is battling a spike in Covid cases, with eight more prefectures placed under a state of emergency on Wednesday. Its capital Tokyo, is currently hosting the Paralympic Games. The country has already approved the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines for use – it only started using Moderna in May.
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