More than 90,000 defective BioNTech mRNA doses will be returned to Germany for destruction.
The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced that the manufacturer’s investigation into the packaging defects had concluded that the defects “have not resulted in a major impact on the [vaccine] quality”.
A replacement batch will be delivered to Macao later.
BioNTech in Germany, in conjunction with its Shanghai-based distributor Fosun Pharma, concluded that “during the packaging of the vaccine, the crimping of the metal ring failed to ensure the integrity of the packaging of the vials”.
As of 4 pm yesterday, 102,444 doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been administered to 67,115 people in Macao, comprising 31,651 who had received their first jab and 35,464 who had received their second jab.
A total of 11 adverse events were reported in the past 24 hours. The total number of adverse events since the start of the vaccination drive stood at 461, or 0.45 per cent of the total number of jabs, including two serious cases.
The first batch of 100,425 doses of BioNTech vaccine was delivered to Macao in late February. However, Macao’s BioNTech vaccinations were suspended on March 24 after the manufacturer detected packaging defects in some of the vials in the batch. The inoculations were resumed on 5 April after the second batch of 19,500 doses was delivered to Macao on 2 April.
The third batch of 29,250 doses of BioNTech vaccine was delivered to Macao on 13 April.
