Two men have died in Japan after being vaccinated with Moderna coronavirus vaccines from a contaminated batch. Authorities are still investigating whether there is a link between the deaths and the vaccines.
The Japanese Ministry of Health reports that the two men died this month. The thirty-somethings had had their second corona jab a few days before their death. There is currently no evidence that those doses were contaminated.
The authorities withdrew three batches of vaccines from circulation on Thursday as a precaution. More than 1.6 million doses had already been sent to 863 vaccination centres.
Distributor Takeda Pharmaceutical Co had received reports of a “strange matter” in some of the vials. The Japanese broadcaster NHK reports that a metal substance has been found based on sources within the Ministry of Health.
The government has so far identified no problems with the safety or efficacy of the contaminated vaccines. Furthermore, Moderna and Takeda say there is currently no evidence that the contaminated vaccines caused the deaths.
