Japan on Aug. 26 announced the suspension of about 1.63 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine due to reports of contamination. The country’s health ministry said “foreign materials” were found in at least 390 doses—or 39 vials—of the Moderna vaccine, coming from eight vaccination sites, according to The Asahi Shimbun. Takeda Pharmaceutical, a Japanese drugmaker distributing the Moderna vaccines in Japan, had received reports of contamination from multiple vaccination sites. The health ministry subsequently learned about the matter on Aug. 25, reported the outlet. A ministry official was reported by Nikkei Asia as saying, “It’s a substance that reacts to magnets … it could be metal.” The reports of contamination involve a batch that has a total of 565,400 doses. The ministry said that it decided to suspend the lot as a precaution after it consulted with Takeda. It also suspended another two batches. The three batches altogether contain 1.63 million vaccine …