MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will proceed with using Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine as authorities on Friday said the country's supply are safe after reports of contaminated vials in Japan.
Food and Drug Administration chief Eric Domingo said the batch delivered to Manila were not part of those also sent to Tokyo.
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He was responding to a query after Japan halted the use of 1.63 million Moderna doses, which Domingo said had some metal particles.
"The use of Moderna vaccine will go on at this time," he told a government briefing partly in Filipino. "There is no reason to stop it."
Japan's health ministry is investigating the incident also after two men who got the tained jabs died, though the cause of death is still unknown.
Domingo said the Philippine authorities have confirmed there was no part of that supply that reached the country. "So far, there are also no findings to show its effects on safety and efficacy," he added.
Still, the FDA chief sought to remind vaccinators of the importance of inspecting the vials before administering it.
Drug regulators earlier today cleared Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use to adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old.
That was the second jab allowed for EUA on the age group after Pfizer. And while Domingo acknowledged the move was crucial as more children contract the Delta variant of COVID-19, the government still has not opened vaccinations for those below 18 years old. — with reports from Agence France Presse