Japan launched the COVID-19 vaccination on Wednesday, starting with an initial group of 40,000 health workers before later expanding its vaccination program to cover older people and people with pre-existing conditions.
The first shots were fired at a state-run hospital in Tokyo, and the vaccination is due to take place at 100 medical facilities in Japan by next week. The country was relatively slow to launch vaccinations against the new coronavirus and later launched its program than at least 70 other countries.
The vaccination will begin less than six months before the Tokyo and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, and as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s public support declines amid criticism of a sluggish pandemic response.
Of the initial group of health professionals, 20,000 will participate in a study to detect side effects that may be caused by the vaccine developed by US drugmaker Pfizer Inc. and the BioNTech SE in Germany, and the frequency with which it occurs.
They will be asked to keep records daily for seven weeks after taking the first of two strokes. The shots are fired three weeks apart.
The medical facilities are equipped with ultra-cold freezers that can store the vaccine at around 75 Celsius. Once the dose has been taken out, it should be kept in the refrigerator within five days.
A further 3.7 million health workers up front will begin vaccination in March, followed by 36 million people aged 65 or older from April.
People with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or heart disease and those who work at elderly care institutions come next, and then ultimately the general population.
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