2. Government announces investigation results regarding packaging defects of BioNTech vaccine and arrangements for resumption of vaccination service
According to the information provided by Fosun Industrial Co., Limited (Fosun) and German drug manufacturer BioNTech, BioNTech has completed the relevant investigation and analysis regarding defects found in a small number of vial caps in a batch of vaccines supplied to the Hong Kong and Macao regions. It is confirmed that the occurrence of the said problem is only associated with vaccine packaging under transport conditions. The production process and quality of the vaccine are found to be intact. The drug manufacturer confirmed that the safety and efficacy of the vaccine were not affected by the aforesaid issue, hence members of the public who had received the BioNTech vaccine did not need to worry. That said, for the sake of prudence, batches 210102 and 210104 will continue to be put on hold at the request of the drug manufacturer until completion of the final investigation report. The Government is also prepared to follow the recommendation of the drug manufacturer to suitably handle the relevant batches at a later time, including no longer administering the relevant batches of the BioNTech vaccine.
The shipment of about 300 000 doses of the Comirnaty vaccine manufactured by BioNTech, filled and finished at another plant in Germany, arrived in Hong Kong on April 2 as arranged by Fosun Pharma.
The Government has resumed the administration of the Comirnaty vaccine for members of the public starting from 5 April. For changes to the vaccination slot or centre, please cancel the timeslot from the online booking system first and then make another reservation.
For details, please refer to:
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/01/P2021040100848.htm
https://www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/
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