FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, “COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only” and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Moderna logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — The contamination woes of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in Japan will not affect the Philippines’ vaccination with the said product, the chief of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday.
FDA Director-General Eric Domingo said that the batch of Moderna vaccines being investigated due to contamination was made exclusively for Japan.
“The batch of Moderna vaccines being investigated in Japan was made exclusively for Japan. None of it was sent to the Philippines so it does not affect the vaccination program here,” he told INQUIRER.net in a text message.
The supply of more than 2.6 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine in Japan was earlier suspended after a contaminant was found in a Moderna vaccine vial.
Two people earlier died after receiving Moderna shots that were among the lots later suspended.