The temporary suspension comes after notification of the defect, as authorities say there is no problem with the safety of the vaccine.
Hong Kong and Macau have suspended the use of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines due to a defect in the packaging of a batch of doses, officials said Wednesday.
The vials with lot number 210102 were found to have defective packaging, authorities reported, and an investigation was initiated.
“For precautionary reasons, current vaccination should be suspended during the investigation period,” the Hong Kong government said in a statement, noting that there were “deviations in the bottle seal.”
He added that vaccines were also suspended with a second batch (210104). It was not detailed whether this batch was affected in the same way.
Both Chinese territories said they made the decision to suspend the use of the vaccine after contacting them with Fosun Industrial, the Chinese pharmaceutical company that distributes the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in China.
Officials said Fosun and BioNTech did not believe there was any security risk. The Hong Kong health department will hold an emergency meeting with the two companies on Wednesday on the issue.
Several Hong Kong vaccination centers were told to stop using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to notifications seen by residents on Wednesday morning.
Some people went on social media to say that their appointments that day had been canceled and that some vaccination centers were closed.
The Pfizer-BioNTech trait is one of two vaccines that are part of Hong Kong’s mass vaccination program and need to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures of -70 degrees Celsius. He also uses Sinovac, a vaccine developed in China.