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HONG KONG (AP) – Hong Kong suspended use of the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday after its Chinese distributor informed the city that a batch had faulty bottle lids.
The city government said the suspension was immediate as the case was investigated by distributor Fosun Pharma and BioNTech, the German company that created the vaccine with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
BioNTech and Fosun Pharma have found no reason to believe the product is dangerous, according to the statement. However, vaccinations will be interrupted for prevention and safety.
Defective lids were found on vaccine lot number 210102. A separate vaccine lot, 210104, will also not be administered.
Macau also said on Wednesday that residents would not receive Pfizer vaccines from the affected batch.
BioNTech and Fosun Pharma could not be reached immediately for comment.
All Hong Kong community centers that administer the Pfizer vaccine have temporarily suspended immunizations and residents who have already made an appointment for Wednesday do not need to visit the centers, the government said.
The suspension of the Pfizer vaccine means that the only vaccine currently available to residents is China’s Sinovac vaccine. The two vaccines are the only ones that have been offered to residents of Hong Kong.
German expatriate Jannis Partsafas was among a group of people who received the shot from Pfizer before the suspension.
“I got the vaccine this morning at 8:30 am before the news went public about the vaccine suspension, and I heard the news when I was on my way home,” said Partsafas, 32. , who works in the sporting goods industry.
“I’m not very concerned about safety, but I’m concerned this will mean more people are refusing the option to get vaccinated in Hong Kong, which would impact herd immunity and the lifting of distancing measures social, ”he said.
Some residents who had appointments on Wednesday morning were queuing outside a community center administering Pfizer vaccines in the city’s Sai Ying Pun district at around 10:30 am They finally left the center when it became apparent that no vaccine would be given.
As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, 403,000 people had received vaccines in the city, of which 150,200 had received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, compared to 252,800 who had taken the Sinovac vaccine.
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This story has been corrected to indicate that the bad lot number is 210102.
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