Japan to Start COVID-19 Vaccinations for Healthcare Workers Tomorrow; Elderly Vaccinations to Begin After April

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[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] The Japanese government will begin COVID-19 vaccinations for healthcare workers starting on the 17th.

According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Taro Kono, Minister in charge of Administrative Reform, announced this at a press conference on the afternoon of the 16th. Initially, 40,000 workers at about 100 medical institutions, including national hospitals, will be prioritized for vaccination. Minister Kono stated, "The vaccination, which is considered the trump card against COVID-19, will begin," and added, "We expect many people to get vaccinated."

The vaccine in question is the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer. The Japanese government has signed a supply contract for 144 million doses (approximately 72 million people) this year.

Two doses per person are the principle, and the second dose for the initial vaccination group is expected to be administered after March 10. Subsequently, vaccinations will be conducted for other healthcare workers excluding the initial group. Initially, the Japanese government estimated the initial vaccination group to be between 10,000 and 20,000 people, but it is reported that there was a high number of applicants. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare estimates the total number of healthcare workers eligible for vaccination to be about 3.7 million.

Following healthcare workers, vaccinations will begin in the order of elderly people aged 65 and over, individuals with underlying health conditions, and general men aged 60 to 64. Vaccinations for those aged 65 and over are expected to start after April. Due to the characteristics of the Pfizer vaccine, which must be stored at ultra-low temperatures, establishing a transportation and management system for large-scale vaccination is considered a major task.

Minister Kono said, "We need to start with stockpiles," and "We want to increase the pace slowly to avoid any problems," but did not disclose a specific date for the start of elderly vaccinations. He added, "This is a large-scale vaccination that no local government has ever conducted before."

Regarding questions about the preparation status of each local government, Minister Kono explained, "Some places are progressing well, while others are not yet ready, so there are slight differences." He also reaffirmed that all necessary costs will be fully covered by the national government.

The COVID-19 vaccine arrived at Tokyo Narita Airport from Belgium on the 12th. Two more shipments are expected to arrive next week.

On the 14th, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare officially approved the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. This is the first time COVID-19 vaccine use has been approved in Japan.

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