Issues with the seals on Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine vials have been resolved and vaccinations will resume on Monday, Hong Kong health authorities announced following a review of the city's existing batches.
Vaccinations with the German-made jab were suspended for 12 days after clinics reported more than 50 cracked, stained and broken vials over the past two months.
The delay has forced roughly 183,000 residents to rebook for their first Pfizer dose, while an additional 30,000 people were expected to receive their second dose during the period and have also needed to reschedule their appointments.
Armed with a fresh batch of the Pfizer vaccine, Hong Kong clinics are now ready to resume service while a full investigation of the matter gets underway.
"We will rely on the manufacturer to conduct a thorough investigation and submit the full report to us, and upon scrutiny of the complete investigation report we will decide what to do," Hong Kong's director of health Dr. Constance Chan Hon-yee said Thursday.
Doses remaining of potentially damaged vials in batches 210102 and 210104 will be kept in cold storage until Pfizer and its China-region distributor Fosun conclude their examination.
"They would have to complete the investigation and they will explain to us clearly and then we will work accordingly," said secretary for the civil service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen.
The aluminum rings crimped around the edge of the vials, intended to better preserve its contents, were damaged in the affected batches, according to the government. This left the plastic stoppers exposed and liable to leakage.
However, similar issues have been reported in Pfizer vials around the world, though no government outside Hong Kong suspended vaccinations over the issue.
"It would not be correct to overrule the manufacturer's recommendation," Chan said.
