Japan will halt the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine after reports of foreign substances in several lots, drugmaker Takeda and the health ministry said on Thursday.

日本厚生劳动省和武田制药8月25日表示，国内几个疫苗接种中心报告称在莫德纳新冠疫苗瓶中发现异物，因此决定暂停使用超过163万剂的该款疫苗。

Takeda, which is in charge of sales and distribution of the Moderna shot in Japan, said it had informed Moderna and "requested an urgent investigation". Takeda did not detail the nature of the contamination, but said it had not so far received any reports of health concerns arising from affected doses.

武田制药已要求美国莫德纳公司对此事进行紧急调查。负责莫德纳新冠疫苗在日本分销的武田制药没有详细说明异物的性质，但表示目前尚未收到任何该款受影响疫苗引起健康问题的报告。

The health ministry said it would work with Takeda to secure alternative doses to avoid disruption to the country's vaccine program.

日本厚生劳动省表示，将与武田制药合作，确保替代疫苗的供应，以避免日本疫苗接种进程中断。

Around 43% of Japan's population is currently fully vaccinated, but the country is battling a record surge of virus cases driven by the more contagious Delta variant.

目前，日本约43%的人口已经完成了新冠疫苗接种，但日本正在抗击由更具传染性的德尔塔毒株引发的创纪录的病例激增。