Millions of people in Japan will not receive the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine as planned due to a lack of specialized syringes – a surveillance that could frustrate 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 doctor, according to the Minister of Health, Norihisa Tamura.
Japan has provided 144m photos of the Pfizer vaccine – enough for 72 million people – assuming each vial contains six doses.
Each recipient needs two strokes, three weeks apart, to increase the level of protection, according to Pfizer.
But a lack of narrow “dead space” syringes – which have a narrow plunger that can push out any remaining vaccine – means that vaccinators in Japan will have to use mostly standard syringes that are able to draw only five doses per vial, or enough for 60 million people.
“The syringes used in Japan can only extract five doses,” Tamura said, according to the Kyodo news agency. “We will use all the syringes we have, which can extract six doses, but of course it will not be enough, because more photos will be taken.”
The government is urging manufacturers of medical equipment to increase production of specialty syringes.
Japan is not alone in facing the problem. The United States and European Union countries have also reported a shortage of dead space syringes, which means there is likely to be strong competition to quickly secure additional supply.
A Japanese health ministry official told Jiji Press: “When the contract was concluded, we were not absolutely sure that a bottle could be used for six shots. We cannot deny that we have slowed down to confirm this. “
When Japan begins its Covid immunization program in mid-February – a few months later than many other developed economies – health workers who cannot take the sixth dose will have to throw them away, the spokesman said. government, Katsunobu Kato.
The government has defended its cautious approach to launching the vaccine, which is expected to begin on February 17, pending local approval for the Pfizer vaccine two days earlier.
Japan will begin by inoculating 10,000 to 20,000 front-line health workers, whose condition will be closely monitored for any side effects, followed by another 3.7 million health workers by mid-March.
The launch for 36 million people over the age of 65 is not expected to begin until early April.
Just over 8 million people with pre-existing health conditions and 7.5 million aged between 60 and 64 will also receive priority. The general population – people aged 16 to 59 – will not start receiving blows until around July, when Tokyo plans to host the postponed Summer Olympics.
AstraZeneca applied for approval for its vaccine last month, while the Moderna vaccine is not expected to receive regulatory approval until May.
In total, Japan has provided enough doses for 157 million people.