According to the Japan Health Ministry, two people dead after receiving the shots of the Moderna (MRNA.O) Covid-19 vaccine on Saturday.
As per the statement released by the ministry, the men were in their late 30’s and lost their lives within days of receiving their second Moderna doses. Each had a shot from one of three manufacturing lots suspended on Thursday.
A case has been registered by the police and an investigation is undergoing.
As per media agency Reuters, Japan halted the use of 1.63 million Moderna doses shipped to 863 vaccination centres nationwide, more than a week after the domestic distributor, Takeda Pharmaceutical (4502.T), received reports of contaminants in some vials. The government and Covid-19 vaccine company Moderna said that no safety and efficacy issues had been identified and the suspension was just a precaution.
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In late June, the Government of India introduced Moderna as the fourth vaccine in the fight against the contagious Covid-19 infection. This approval for Moderna also hints at another vaccine Pfizer to enter the Indian market anytime soon.
Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine mRNA- 1273 has been developed by the US-based pharmaceutical company in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in the US, where it is sold under the brand name 'Spikevax'.