Hong Kong and Macao have suspended the rollout of BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine.
They have cited a packaging defect found in their first batch of doses, for suspending the rollout of the vaccine.
In statements issued separately by the government’s of Macao and Hong Kong on Wednesday, March 24, they revealed that they had received a letter from BioNTech and its Chinese partner, Fosun Pharma, announcing an issue with the seal on individual vials in batch number 210102.
As of Tuesday, March 23, 2021, government officials in Hong Kong observed that 150,200 people in Hong Kong had received their first dose of the BioNTech vaccine.
“…have not found any reason to believe that product safety is at risk,” the Hong Kong government revealed, disclosing that it was suspending vaccinations involving batch 210102, and halting plans to administer a second batch pending an investigation.
“These are preventive measures to continuously ensure the safety of the vaccination program,” according to the Government of Hong Kong.
By Melvin Tarlue