TOKYO (AP) – Japan launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Wednesday after the government first approved a survey compiled by Pfizer Inc., which the US and many other countries began using two months ago.
Some in Japan, where relatively rare side effects of vaccines tend to play out, are not in a hurry to get the chance. This reluctance could be a major problem for the Tokyo Olympics, which are planned for a year’s delay for the summer. Vaccinations are considered a key to keeping the games going.
As domestic vaccine development is still in its early stages, Japan is facing import-dependent uncertainty. It is also unclear whether the already strained Japanese healthcare system will be able to treat the extra visitors during the games while juggling with local patients and the massive vaccinations.
The AP is investigating why Japan, the world’s third largest economy, is so late with the vaccination of coronavirus.
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WHY THE DELAY?
This is mostly because the government has asked for clinical trials in Japan, in addition to Pfizer’s multinational tests, which did not include Japan.
Dozens of countries have accepted and continued the results of the Pfizer tests launched in November. Pfizer applied for emergency clearance in Japan on December based on overseas data, but Tokyo awaited the results of the Japanese tests submitted in late January before giving the green light on Sunday.
It all happened in two months, much faster than the one-year average commonly known in Japan, known as cautious and trapped in bureaucracy.
The approval process for another provider, AstraZeneca, has only recently begun, while a third, Moderna Inc. has not yet applied in Japan.
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WHY DID JAPAN ASK FOR MORE SQUARE?
People in Japan are often skeptical about vaccines, and officials believe they need to deal with the safety issues thoroughly.
Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said last week that Asians made up “only a small percentage” of the Pfizer tests, which were done from about 44,000 people in six countries from July to November.
Nevertheless, this means that the data included samples from about 2000 Asians. Some critics question whether the additional tests on only 160 Japanese people have added anything – besides more delay.
Taro Kono, administrative reform minister for vaccinations, defended the delay. “It was more important for the government to show the Japanese people that everything has been done” to encourage the vaccine, he said.
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WHY IS TRUST IN JAPAN SO LOW?
Japan’s mistrust of vaccines is decades old. Many people have a vague discomfort about vaccines, in part because their side effects are often played out.
In the 1990s, the government scrapped compulsory vaccinations after a court ruling held it responsible for side effects related to several of them.
More recently, Japan stopped recommending the human papillomavirus, or HPV vaccine, after media reports of suspected side effects, and renewed concerns despite the widespread use of the vaccine abroad as a safe and effective protection for cervical cancer.
A recent Mainichi newspaper survey showed that less than 40% of respondents are eager to get their coronavirus shots immediately, while about 60% said they will wait and see.
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WHAT IS THE TIMELINE OF JAPAN?
About 40,000 front-line medical workers treating COVID-19 patients will receive their first shots of the Pfizer vaccine at 100 hospitals. Half of them will participate in a survey of side effects and subsequent health checks to alleviate public safety problems.
About 3.7 million other medical workers will be next. Elderly people are expected to get their turn in April, ahead of those with underlying health problems.
It will be around June by the age of 16.
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DOES JAPAN HAVE SAFE SUBSTANCE?
Despite the late start, Japan was fast entering into deals with Pfizer and two other companies, AstraZeneca and Moderna, when the vaccines were still being developed.
By the end of this year, Japan had received 344 million doses, enough to cover the entire population. This includes 144 million doses of Pfizer, 120 million of AstraZeneca and 50 million of Moderna.
Japan has promised to secure doses for its entire population by June, but the outlook is uncertain amid shortages in Europe where many of Pfizer and AstraZeneca supplies supplies.
Vaccine Minister Taro Kono on Tuesday described the prospect of getting the vaccines on time as ‘difficult’. Although he expressed optimism, he said that supplies from Europe would determine the progress of the campaign in Japan.
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DO JAPPAN DEVELOP OWN AGREEMENTS?
Several Japanese companies and research organizations are developing coronavirus vaccines, but this is in the early stages.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. will distribute the Moderna vaccine and manufacture the Novavax vaccine at home, and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. will manufacture the AstraZeneca vaccine under a licensing transaction.
Only AstraZeneca is currently in the approval process.
Experts believe that the development of vaccines in Japan has become an unpopular research area due to risks, the time-consuming process and a lack of government funding.
Shigeru Omi, the head of the coronavirus government corps, cited a lack of global competitiveness by Japanese pharmaceutical companies as a reason for the delayed implementation.