Japan aims to start COVID-19 vaccinations in February next year... Priority given to medical staff and elderly

Target Divided into 3 Phases for Priority Vaccination of 50 Million People

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Japanese government has decided to prioritize medical workers, the elderly, and people with underlying health conditions for COVID-19 vaccinations, aiming to start vaccinations in February next year, Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 24th.

According to the report, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan held a COVID-19 task force meeting the day before and discussed a plan to prioritize vaccinating about 50 million people in three phases starting as early as February next year. The Ministry decided to make medical workers the top priority for vaccination. The first priority group for vaccination consists of about 4 million people, including doctors, pharmacists, public health center staff, paramedics, and Self-Defense Forces personnel who frequently come into contact with infected individuals.

The second priority group in the vaccination phases is approximately 36 million elderly people aged 65 and older. The third group includes about 8.2 million people aged 20 to 64 with underlying health conditions and about 2 million workers at elderly care facilities. The recognized underlying conditions for vaccination eligibility include 14 types such as heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, various cancers, and blood-related disorders.

Pregnant women are currently excluded from the priority vaccination groups due to insufficient data on the vaccine's efficacy and safety for this group. Additionally, if there is a surplus in vaccine supply during the initial vaccination phase, about 7.5 million people aged 60 to 64 from the third priority group will be added.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare plans to hold an expert meeting soon to finalize the vaccination priority order based on these discussions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.