TOKYO (Reuters) – The head of Japan’s vaccination program COVID-19 on Wednesday denied media reports that vaccinations could start for the general public in May, as the country battles a third wave that has led to record numbers of infections and serious cases.
Media, including the public broadcaster NHK, quoted an anonymous source close to the government as saying vaccinations could reach the public as early as May.
“Oh no, NHK, please do not walk around like that to institute such a vaccination. It is fake,” Taro Kono, Minister of Administrative Reform, who was elected this week to address the rollout of vaccines, on Twitter said.
The daily Yomiuri said the government wanted to vaccinate the majority of the population by July, ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics which would start on July 23.
The government has said it will prioritize medical workers, the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions in their vaccination program, which is expected to begin in late February, but does not provide a timeline for it.
Katsunobu Kato, general secretary of the cabinet, told a daily newsletter that the timeline for vaccination for the wider population will be determined after the vaccine is approved.
The timing of the campaign is of particular importance, as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said vaccines are the key to a safe Olympics.
Japan has arranged to buy 540 million doses from several Western developers, including Pfizer Inc., the vaccine of which is expected to be the first to gain regulatory approval.
Japan has signed a contract in 2021 to buy 144 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, the health ministry said on Wednesday pending domestic approval. This is a dose increase of 24 million compared to a previous agreement.
Japan had 345,060 cases of coronavirus and 4,749 deaths, NHK reported.
While the death toll pales in comparison to that in many countries, daily deaths rose above 100 for the first time on Tuesday, while the number of people in a serious condition peaked at 1001, according to Kyodo News.
(Reporting by Sakura Murakami, Kiyoshi Takenaka and Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Michael Perry, Robert Birsel)