A 49-year-old man died after receiving his second dose of the Moderna vaccine, though officials say the cause has yet to be determined.
A third person in Japan has tragically died after receiving a dose from one of the batches of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that was later recalled due to contamination concerns. Despite the incident, authorities have emphasized that no direct connection to the vaccine has been identified.
The deceased, a 49-year-old man, received his second Moderna dose on August 11 and passed away the following day. The Ministry of Health reported that his only known medical condition was an allergy to buckwheat. Similar to previous fatalities, officials have not confirmed whether the death is linked to the vaccine.
The batch involved in this incident was part of a recall initiated on August 26, which affected 1.63 million doses of the Moderna vaccine. However, it was not from the specific batch that was found to contain stainless steel fragments. These contaminated batches were produced in Spain under a contract with Moderna.
In response to the tragic event, the company expressed its condolences, stating: “The loss of life is something we take very seriously.”
Earlier, a joint statement from Moderna and the local distributor, Takeda Pharmaceutical, reassured the public that the presence of stainless steel particles in the vaccine does not pose a significant risk to patient safety and does not alter the benefit-to-risk balance of the vaccine.
In August, two men in their 30s died shortly after receiving their second doses of the Moderna vaccine. Investigations revealed contaminants believed to be rubber fragments from vial stoppers, which had entered the vaccine due to improperly inserted needles. These fragments were discovered in regions like Okinawa, Gunma, and Kanagawa. However, no adverse effects were reported among other individuals who received vaccines from these affected batches.
To date, more than 500,000 individuals have been administered vaccines from the three impacted batches, according to Japan’s vaccine program minister, Taro Kono.
Despite these issues, most of the vaccines administered in Japan are from Pfizer, and by August 26, approximately 18 million Moderna doses had been given. As of now, Japan has administered nearly 136 million vaccine doses, with 48% of the population fully vaccinated and over 59% having received at least one dose.
In Tokyo, new infections dropped below 1,000 on Monday for the first time since mid-July, indicating a decline in COVID-19 cases.
