COVID-19 VACCINE SYRINGES SUPPLIED BY JAPAN ‘DIFFICULT TO USE’

Numerous health care workers and local governments have voiced complaints about the relatively short and thick types of syringes the Japanese government is supplying for vaccinations against COVID-19, Tetsuya Shoji reported for Mainichi Japan.

The syringes, which have a capacity of 2 milliliters, have been criticized as being "difficult to use" and "posing a concern for medical accidents."

While the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is aware of such complaints, it said that it "has no choice but to have municipalities use the syringes until there is a clear outlook on (alternative) supplies."

"We are handing the syringes over to medical institutions while explaining that they 'may have defects,'" said an official of the Shibukawa Municipal Government in Gunma Prefecture, which began coronavirus vaccinations at medical institutions on May 17.

Long and narrow syringes with a 1 ml capacity are suitable for inoculations, but those distributed by the national government are short and thick.

According to the city, the vaccines it has received from the Japanese government are produced by US pharmaceutical company Pfizer, and one dose is 0.3 ml.

The scale markings on 1 ml syringes are displayed in 0.01 ml increments, and also have numbers for every 0.1 ml, making it easy to read them and make slight adjustments.

However, the 2 ml syringes have scale markings only for every 0.1 ml, and have no number at the 0.3 ml mark.

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