The government will allow hospitals to administer Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine using insulin syringes, which can yield seven shots per vial as opposed to the five possible with the type of syringe the government procured for inoculating Japan against the novel coronavirus, health minister Norihisa Tamura said Tuesday.
The move could speed up the country's vaccine rollout amid concerns of a supply shortage owing to production delays at Pfizer's factory in Belgium and European Union export controls.
Taro Kono, minister in charge of the country's vaccination efforts, said the government will look into procuring insulin syringes "if there is a surplus."