Suga: "Securing Pfizer Vaccines for the Entire Population by September"

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister of Japan, announced on the 19th that "we have secured enough COVID-19 vaccine doses to vaccinate all citizens aged 16 and older by the end of September."

Prime Minister Suga told reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on the same day, "During my visit to the United States, I spoke directly with Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer," according to a report by Asahi Shimbun.

Japan had previously contracted to receive 144 million doses (enough for 72 million people) of the Pfizer vaccine. Considering that the Japanese government estimates about 110 million people are eligible for vaccination aged 16 and older, it is estimated that the additional supply requested this time is about 100 million doses (enough for 50 million people).

In addition, the Japanese government has agreed to receive 60 million doses from AstraZeneca and 20 million doses from Moderna.

Regarding Osaka's request for the government to declare a state of emergency, Prime Minister Suga said, "We will respond with a sense of urgency."

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