Because there is no special syringe… Japan releases 12 million Pfizer vaccines

-In Japan, where vaccination for a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) begins on the 17th, a vaccine for 12 million people (24 million doses) was released because a special syringe was not available.

According to the Asahi Newspaper on the 10th, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced that the previous day, the number of inoculations per bottle for the Corona 19 vaccine developed by Pfizer, a US pharmaceutical company, will be changed from six to five. In order to inoculate 6 times with one bottle, a special syringe with a small amount of vaccine remaining at the end of the syringe must be used, because it was not secured.

The Japanese government signed a contract with Pfizer last month to supply 144 million doses (72 million people) of vaccine on the premise of six doses per bottle. If only 5 doses per bottle are given, the total number of possible vaccinations will be reduced by about 17% (24 million doses, 12 million people).

Pfizer’s side contacted Japan in December last year, saying, “We are reviewing 6 doses per bottle,” and it formally explained it last month. Japan did not take measures, such as introducing special syringes, even after being contacted at the end of last year. Only after receiving an official contact at the end of January, it was confirmed that only 5 doses per bottle can be inoculated with the currently purchased syringe. At a press conference on the 9th, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu said, “It is very difficult to obtain as many special syringes as you need right now.” Tokyo = correspondent Park Hyung-jun [email protected]