Hong Kong yesterday suspended use of the Pfizer vaccine after its Chinese distributor informed the government that one batch had defective bottle lids.
The government said the suspension was immediate while the matter is investigated by distributor Fosun Pharma and BioNTech, the German company that created the vaccine with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
BioNTech and Fosun Pharma have not found any reason to believe the product is unsafe, the statement said.
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However, vaccinations have been halted as a preventive and safety measure.
The defective lids were found on vaccines from batch number 210102. A separate batch of vaccines, 210104, will also be not be administered.
Macau yesterday said that its residents would not receive the Pfizer shots from the same batch.
The vaccines from the batch comprise a total of 585,000 doses, with the other batch number 210104 holding 758,000 doses, Hong Kong Director of Health Constance Chan (陳漢儀) said.
Although about 150,000 doses from batch number 210102 have been administered in the territory so far, officials told a news briefing yesterday that the vaccines were safe to us, despite the packaging defects, and that suspending the vaccination was a precautionary measure.
Batch number 210104 remains in the warehouse and has not been used.
Chan said that there were more than 40 instances when medical personnel found defective packaging, such as cracks on the vaccine bottles or leakages when the vaccine was diluted with saline before being administered.
None of these vaccines was given to residents and they were thrown away, officials said.
“Fosun has promised to carry out an immediate investigation, so they are going to approach the manufacturer in Germany to look into their plant,” Chan said. “When the vaccines arrive in Hong Kong, they will have a review of the whole logistics chain to see if that’s the cause of the current situation.”
She said that officials are urging manufacturers to give a report as soon as possible to check if the batches of vaccines in Hong Kong can be used, otherwise the manufacturers will have to deliver another batch of shots as soon as possible.
Residents who are slated to receive their second Pfizer dose starting on Saturday should get the second shot administered as soon as possible, if new vaccines arrive in Hong Kong after the recommended 19 to 42-day window following the first dose.
BioNTech could not be immediately reached for comment.
Fosun Pharma said in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it received notice from BioNTech regarding the packaging defects on Tuesday night, and informed Hong Kong and Macau authorities yesterday to temporarily suspend the vaccines.
The suspension of the Pfizer jab means the only vaccine currently offered to residents is China’s Sinovac.
The two vaccines are the only ones that were offered to residents in Hong Kong.
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