TOKYO, Feb. 16 (Reuters) – Japan scrambles to secure special syringes to maximize the number of COVID-19 vaccine shots used in each vial, but manufacturers are struggling to boost production quickly, raising fears That can waste millions of doses.
Japan, with a population of 126 million, signed a contract with Pfizer Inc. last month to obtain 144 million doses of its vaccine, or enough for 72 million people, with the vaccination campaign starting on Wednesday.
One vial is intended for six shots, says Pfizer, but it takes special syringes that retain a low amount of solution after injection to extract six doses, while only five shots can be taken with standard syringes stored by the government in preparation for the vaccination system.
“We are still trying to secure these special syringes,” Cabinet Secretary-General Katsunobu Kato said on Tuesday.
He did not answer questions directly when asked last week whether the shortage would reduce the number of shots Japan could give.
Both a Pfizer spokesman in Japan and an official from the Japanese Ministry of Health declined to say whether the contract to supply 144 million doses of vaccine to Japan by the end of the year is based on six doses taken from each vial. .
The rapid population intake is a top priority for the government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, as he is determined to hold the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer after the Games were postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an effort to minimize the amount of vaccine not used in syringes and vials, the government is asking medical device manufacturers to promote the production of the low syringe with a low dead space, but there is doubt as to whether it is fast enough can be done.
Nipro Corp., which runs a factory in Thailand that can produce 500,000 units a month, said it plans to increase its monthly capacity to a few million, but it will take up to five months to reach it.
“We are receiving a request from the Ministry of Health and we need to take action. But this is not something we can do overnight. It is still four to five months before we can increase sharply, “said a Nipro spokesperson.
Another major Japanese medical device maker, Terumo Corp., said it had begun developing syringes suitable for withdrawing six doses from a vial, but that it was still too early to say when it would go into commercial production. can begin.
Although daily cases in Japan have deteriorated in recent weeks after peaking in early January, Tokyo and nine other provinces are still in a state of coronavirus emergency.
According to public broadcaster NHK, there are about 418,000 cases in Japan with 7,042 deaths. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Additional Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)