Japan vaccine chief says to use six-dose syringes from mid-April

By: 3 years ago

FILE PHOTO: A medical worker holds a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at Tokyo Medical Center, as Japan launches its inoculation campaign, in Tokyo, Japan February 17, 2021. Behrouz Mehri/Pool via REUTERS

TOKYO — Japan will use specialized syringes capable of extracting six doses of coronavirus vaccine from each Pfizer vial from the week of April 12 to inoculate medical workers, Taro Kono, the minister overseeing the vaccination effort, said on Friday.

Most of Japan’s stock of syringes consists of regular versions that can draw just five doses from each vial, sparking fears that millions of doses could be wasted.