BioNTech’s packaging defects possibly linked to long shipment

The packaging defects found in a batch of BioNTech-produced mRNA vaccines are likely to have been caused by environmental factors across the course of the delivery process from Germany to Macau, Leong Iek Hou, coordinator at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), revealed at yesterday’s weekly media briefing concerning Covid-19.
In the briefing, Leong cited the preliminary results of an interim investigative report co-released by BioNTech and Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co.
The affected batch of vaccines, numbered 210102, was delivered to Hong Kong and Macau directly from Germany on February 27. Of the shipment, 585,000 were sent to Hong Kong, whilst 100,000 doses were delivered to Macau, according to Bloomberg.
The packaging defects are said to predominantly involve loosely-sealed aluminum caps on the vaccine bottles. The two enterprises have conducted a joint investigation to uncover the underlying reason behind packaging defects.
“In the report, they [the two enerprises] do not rule out any possibility that the packaging defects were brought about by the environmental factors the vaccine bottles faced during the long-time shipment process,” Leong said.
Additionally, the report said that there is no conclusive evidence pointing to the existence of risk for this batch of vaccines. “As a result, those who were inoculated with mRNA vaccine earlier do not need to be concerned,” Leong added.
BioNTech and Fosun will continue the investigation and anticipate that they will release the final result after a week, which will confirm whether the affected vaccine bottles are safe to use.
Since the issue was reported to the Macau SAR government, the use of the specific batch was suspended on March 24 until “further notice,” as stated in an official memo.
Ever since the rollout of mRNA vaccination began on March 3, the authorities by far thawed 1,430 mRNA vaccines, around 30 of which were found with loose caps, Tai Wa Hou, coordinator of the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Covid-19 Vaccination Operation, confirmed yesterday.
“The number [of found flawed bottles] is small,” Tai said, adding the involved bottles were sealed and stored shortly after the discovery.
However, he stressed that the authorities cannot conduct any inspection of other bottles from the same batch, as they are stored in a frozen environment at around minus 70 degrees Celsius.
March 29 marks the anniversary of Macau having no local cases of Covid-19 for 365 consecutive days.
Yesterday, the authorities announced a new built-in function for the city’s health code: the addition of a hyperlink on the interface which will direct to an individual’s vaccination certificate upon completing the whole course of inoculation.
Macau also reported its very first case of N501Y mutation, a Covid-19 mutated strain originating from the UK. The patient infected with the strain is a 24-year-old female student who returned to Macau from the UK on March 7. She tested positive for the IgG antibodies test on March 20 and positive for the nucleic acid test on March 26. She is currently in an isolated medical facility, and is not displaying any symptoms.