To minimize the amount of COVID-19 vaccine going to waste, the health ministry has decided to disclose the names of companies that have disposed of unused vials.
Companies have been provided with vials of vaccine made by U.S. biotechnology firm Moderna, Inc. for use in workplace vaccination programs. Each vial contains enough vaccine for 10 doses.
So that other companies can use the information as a reference, the circumstances and cause of unused vials being discarded, as well as measures to prevent recurrence, will also be revealed.
Announcements will be made in cases when whole vials of vaccine have been disposed of due to reasons such as storage freezer malfunctions or the passage of expiration dates. Situations in which vaccines are discarded due to defects, such as containing foreign substances, will not be announced.
The information will be posted on the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's website on workplace vaccination programs in the future.
Vaccinations at workplaces and universities started in earnest on June 21. As of July 18, a total of 4,656,445 doses had been administered at 2,090 sites, including 143 universities.
At Kansai University in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, vaccines for faculty members and students were put in a medical refrigerator, but the temperature exceeded the standards for storage, and 2,510 doses were discarded. The cause was said to be a defective refrigerator.
In Kamo, Niigata Prefecture, the power cord of the freezer for storage at the Niigata Prefectural Kamo Hospital, the vaccination venue for prefectural employees, became loose, and 1,000 doses had to be discarded.
Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, also decided to dispose of 1,600 doses because a power cord was not connected to a freezer. The company said they will take measures to prevent a recurrence, such as periodically checking the temperature.
The health ministry's guidance on vaccinations at workplaces, revised on July 1, requires that any disposal of whole vials be reported immediately.
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