TOKYO, February 16 (Reuters) – Japan is struggling to secure special syringes to maximize the number of COVID-19 vaccines used in each vial, but manufacturers are struggling to increase production quickly, raising fears that millions of doses can be wasted.
Japan, with a population of 126 million, last month signed a contract with Pfizer Inc to purchase 144 million doses of its vaccine, or enough for 72 million people, with the vaccination campaign set to begin on Wednesday market.
One vial is for six injections, says Pfizer, but special syringes that retain a low volume of solution after an injection are needed to extract six doses, while only five injections can be taken with standard syringes that the government has stored in the preparation unit. inoculation.
“We are still trying to secure these special syringes,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato on Tuesday.
He did not respond directly to questions when asked last week whether the shortage meant that the number of vaccines that Japan can administer would be reduced.
Both a Pfizer spokeswoman in Japan and a Japanese health ministry official declined to say whether the contract to supply Japan with 144 million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year is based on six doses taken from each vial.
Rapid inoculation of its population is the top priority of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government, as he is determined to host the Tokyo Olympics this summer, after the Games were postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an attempt to minimize the amount of unused vaccine in syringes and vials, the government is asking medical device manufacturers to increase the production of low dead space syringes, but there is doubt as to whether this can be done quickly enough.
Nipro Corp, which operates a factory in Thailand with a capacity of 500,000 units per month, said it plans to increase its monthly capacity to a few million, but that it would take up to five months to reach that goal.
“We are receiving a request from the Ministry of Health and we need to take steps. But it is not something we can do overnight. It takes another four to five months before we can increase dramatically, ”said a Nipro spokeswoman.
Another major Japanese medical equipment manufacturer, Terumo Corp, said it has started developing suitable syringes to extract six doses from a bottle, but it is too early to say when it will be able to start commercial production.
Although daily cases have declined in recent weeks in Japan, after the peak in early January, Tokyo and nine other city halls are still under a state of emergency for coronavirus.
Japan saw a total of around 418,000 cases, with 7,042 deaths, according to public broadcaster NHK. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Additional reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)