Japan is investigating the death of two men who received jabs from batches of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine suspended from use due to contamination, the health ministry said today.
The men aged 30 and 38 died earlier this month after getting their second Moderna doses from one of three manufacturing lots suspended by the government on Thursday after several vials were found to be contaminated, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the cause of death was still being investigated and "currently, causal relations with the vaccinations are unknown".
Both men contracted fever after receiving their vaccinations and neither had underlying health conditions or allergic history, the ministry said.
The suspension affects 1.63 million doses of Moderna Covid vaccines, which have been reportedly shipped to over 800 vaccination centres across Japan.
Takeda, which is in charge of sales and distribution of the Moderna shot in Japan, said it received reports from several vaccination centres that "foreign substances" have been found inside unopened vials.
Around 44% of Japan's population has been fully vaccinated, as the country battles a record surge of virus cases driven by the more contagious Delta variant.
More than 15,700 people have died from Covid-19 in the country, and large parts of Japan are under strict virus restrictions.
India vaccinates 10 million in one day
India has given more than 10 million Covid-19 jabs in a single day for the first time, authorities said today, as the South Asian giant bolsters its defences for a predicted new surge.
The health ministry said the 10 million landmark was passed on Friday, beating the country's previous daily record of 9.2 million. The government has been stung by criticism after a brutal coronavirus wave in April and May killed more than 200,000 people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the milestone as a "momentous feat" for the nation of 1.3 billion people.
"Kudos to those getting vaccinated and those making the vaccination drive a success," he said on Twitter.
The government had aimed to vaccinate about 1.1 billion adults by the end of the year but shortages, administrative confusion and hesitancy have held back numbers. Only around 15% have had two doses since the drive began in January.
India's daily infection count has dropped dramatically since the devastating surge in April-May which overwhelmed its creaking health infrastructure.
Almost all restrictions on movement and activity have been lifted even though experts have warned of a new wave hitting as early as next month as the festival season starts.
Daily case numbers have started rising again above 40,000 and more than 500 deaths were reported today. The 46,000 new cases reported today was the highest figure in two months. Much of the spike has been blamed on a surge in the southern state of Kerala.
India is currently administering three vaccines - the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, known locally as Covishield, Covaxin by Indian firm Bharat Biotech and the Russian-made Sputnik V.
The country has so far recorded 437,370 deaths and more than 32 million infections, the second-highest in the world after the United States. Experts say that because of under-reporting, India's true toll could be more than four times higher.
Australia logs record Covid-19 cases, driven by New South Wales
Australia reported a record 1,126 coronavirus infections today, the vast majority in New South Wales, the epicentre of the Delta-fuelled outbreak.
More than half of Australians have been in weeks-long lockdowns as officials in Sydney and Melbourne, the country's largest cities, and the capital Canberra struggle to quell the outbreak.
New South Wales, the most populous state and home to Sydney, reported 1,035 locally acquired Covid-19 infections, breaking Thursday's record of 1,029 as the outbreak that started in mid-June continues to grow.
Victoria reported 64 cases, mostly in its capital Melbourne, and Australian Capital Territory that includes Canberra had 26 infections. Queensland had one, Australia's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd told a briefing.
Despite the record in New South Wales, the state's conservative Liberal Party government said it would ease some restrictions next week, allowing for five-guest weddings.
The state's management of the outbreak - which has nearly 14,700 active cases - has been criticised by officials in neighbouring Victoria, who have imposed stricter restrictions, believing the outbreak there can be suppressed.
"I'm not sure 1,000 cases a day is a sign of hope," Victoria's Health Minister Martin Foley said of the New South Wales infections. "I'm pretty sure that if you ask those intensive care nurses in Sydney hospitals at the moment how they saw the situation, it wouldn't be a hugely rosy picture."
After months of supply delays with the Pfizer shots and public unease about the AstraZeneca vaccine, Australia has been racing in recent weeks to inoculate its population. At current rates, 80% could be vaccinated by mid-November.
The federal government announced a plan last month that envisaged lockdowns as a key to quelling outbreaks until 70% of the population gets vaccinated and a gradual reopening of Australia's borders when the number reaches 80%.
Just 33.7% of people above age 16 have been fully vaccinated, but with some 49,800 cases and 993 deaths, Australia has kept its Covid-19 numbers relatively low.
Neighbouring New Zealand, which had been largely virus-free this year, is also fighting a Delta outbreak, reporting 82 new locally acquired cases on today, all in the epicentre Auckland, as the nation remains under a strict lockdown.
