A medical worker received the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday. (Image via Japan Today)

Japan begins COVID-19 vaccination

Japan began vaccinations for the medical workers as the front-liner against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The campaign for mass vaccination is seen as integral in order to hold the already-postponed Summer Olympics. Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the Summer Olympics in Japan to be delayed.

On Wednesday, about 40,000 doctors and nurses from around 100 selected hospitals across Japan received their first jab. The second dose is scheduled to be administered on 10 March. Before that, half of the participants will partake in the 7-week health survey.

On Sunday, the Japanese Government has approved the COVID-19 vaccine by the American-German pharmaceutical joint effort, Pfizer-BioNTech. Japan fell behind other countries, which have begun the usage of Pfizer's vaccine since December 2020. The tardiness in the approval was due to the fact that Pfizer had to run more clinical trials in Japan, in spite of the trials it had done in six countries.

While Japan started the mass vaccination behind the other major economies, the result of the progress might be ambiguous as the Japanese Government is facing possible shortages of the vaccines. In Europe, where the vaccines are manufactured, there are already shortages and export restrictions. The Minister in charge of the COVID-19 vaccine, Taro Kono, stated that how the matter will be handled will determine the success of mass vaccination in Japan. Besides, the Japanese people are afraid of the adverse side events caused by the COVID-19 vaccines.

After many delays, Japan finally began its mass inoculation program. Running on a tight schedule, the vaccines reportedly arrived in Japan late Tuesday and immediately used on Wednesday morning. Kono said that Pfizer's vaccines from last Friday are enough to be administered to 40,000 doctors and nurses from 100 hospitals in Japan.

Starting in March, the Japanese Government targets 3.7 million health workers to be vaccinated. About 36 million elderly people aged 65 and above are next in April. After that, the people with pre-existing health issues and caregivers will be vaccinated. Then, the ordinary population will receive the jabs.

It is estimated that the ordinary population will get their turn in June. Therefore, the experts are cynical that Japan will achieve herd immunity before the Summer Olympics which is slated for July.

Source: https://bit.ly/3diuISb