The Macau government today temporarily stopped administering BioNTech vaccines "due to packaging issues" with immediate effect.
The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced the suspension in an SMS: "The mRNA [BioNTech] vaccine you have booked has been suspended from today due to packaging issues
"There is no need to go to the vaccination point, the new vaccination date [is] to be advised," the English-language message said. The message was also issued in Macau's two official languages, Chinese and Portuguese.
BioNTech jabs in Macau are distributed by mainland China's Fosun Pharma.
According to a separate statement by the centre released by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS), the Macau Health Bureau (SSM) was informed in writing by Fosun Industrial (Hong Kong) Company, Ltd this morning that "packaging defects" were detected in the mRNA Comirnaty vaccine (validity period until June 2021) produced by German company BioNTech related to the vial caps of Lot No. 210102.
The statement said that BioNTech/Fosun Pharma have started to investigate the cause of the problem, having decided to immediately suspend the vaccination.
The statement also said that BioNTech and Fosun Pharma are convinced that the the product doesn't pose a health risk. However, as a precautionary measure, vaccinations with the vials of Lot No. 210102 have been suspended until the investigation has been completed.
The statement stressed that the preventive measure aims to ensure vaccination safety, adding that all the mRNA jabs in Macau belong to Lot No. 210102. Consequently, the statement said the administration of the vaccine has been suspended until further notice.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government today also announced that it has temporarily stopped BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccinations due to "packaging problems" in one of the batches of supplies, RTHK reported.
A statement by the Hong Kong government said that although the drugmaker did not find any safety risks associated with problems with the caps on the vials, the use of the jabs was being suspended pending an investigation.
Unlike in other parts of the world, US company Pfizer is not distributing the BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong and Macau, with Shanghai-based Fosun Pharma the distributor for the "Greater China" region.
