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Millions of people in Japan will not receive Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine as planned due to a shortage of specialized syringes, an oversight that could thwart the country’s inoculation program.
The standard syringes used in Japan cannot extract the sixth and final dose from each vial made by the American pharmaceutical company, according to Health Minister Norihisa Tamura.
Japan has secured 144 million injections of the Pfizer vaccine, enough for 72 million people, assuming each vial contains six doses.
Each receptor requires two punctures, three weeks apart, to increase the level of protection, according to Pfizer.
But the shortage of low “dead space” syringes, which have narrow emboli that can expel any leftover vaccine, means that vaccinators in Japan will have to primarily use standard syringes that are capable of drawing just five doses per vial, or enough to 60 million. persons.
“The syringes used in Japan can only draw five doses,” Tamura said, according to the Kyodo news agency. “We will use all the syringes we have that can draw six doses, but of course it will not be enough as more injections are given.”
The government asks medical equipment manufacturers to increase the production of specialized syringes.
Japan is not the only one facing the problem. The United States and European Union countries have also reported a shortage of low dead space syringes, meaning there is likely to be stiff competition to quickly secure additional supplies.
An official from the Japanese Ministry of Health told Jiji Press: “When the contract was signed, we were not absolutely sure that one bottle could be used for six injections. We cannot deny that we took time to confirm that. “
When Japan starts its Covid immunization program in mid-February, several months later than many other developed economies, healthcare workers unable to extract the sixth dose will have to discard them, said top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato.
The government has defended its cautious approach to the launch of the vaccine, which is expected to begin on February 17, pending local approval of the Pfizer vaccine two days earlier.
Japan will begin inoculating 10,000 to 20,000 frontline healthcare workers, whose condition will be closely monitored for any side effects, followed by another 3.7 million healthcare workers starting in mid-March.
Deployment for 36 million people over 65 is not expected to begin until early April.
Priority will also be given to just over 8 million people with pre-existing health problems and to 7.5 million between 60 and 64 years old. The general population, 16 to 59-year-olds, won’t start taking their hits until around July, when Tokyo plans to host the postponed Summer Olympics.
AstraZeneca applied for approval of its vaccine last month, while the Moderna vaccine is not expected to receive regulatory approval until May.
In all, Japan has obtained enough doses for 157 million people.
