Japan has withdrawn another 1 million doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine due to possible contamination. This increases the total to more than 2.6 million.

The first batches were withdrawn from circulation last week due to discovering an unknown substance in several bottles.

The authorities are investigating. It is also being investigated whether there is a connection between the deaths of two people in their thirties who were vaccinated with vaccines from a later recalled batch. It is not clear whether they were injected with contaminated vaccines.

The problems with the vaccines come at a time when many corona infections are being diagnosed in Japan. As a result, hospitals cannot cope with the large influx of corona patients and have to send people away.

Only 44 percent of the Japanese population is fully vaccinated. In addition, vaccination rates are lower than in other developed countries.