Japan on Wednesday will vaccinate its healthcare workers with 40,000 doctors and nurses from 100 hospitals across the country receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech. coronavirus vaccine, according to the head of the Taro Kano vaccination in Japan.
Of the 40,000, we asked 20,000 doctors and nurses to keep a diary of their health conditions, temperature, headaches and whatever happens to them, “Kano said. We will monitor them for 21 days, then they will get a second chance from 10 March. ”
After the first round of doctors and nurses, the rollout for 3.7 million doctors, pharmacists, nurses, ambulance drivers and other frontline workers will continue, Kano added.
Vaccinations for senior citizens will begin in April and the country aims to complete the vaccination of the public within the year.
Olympics at stake: The launch comes because Japan is scheduled to host the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in July, despite increasing public opposition and rising costs.
A poll by national broadcaster NHK last month found that 77% of people in Japan think the Games should be canceled or postponed further, mainly due to the logistical obstacles that such a massive event in the midst of a public health stands in the way of crisis.
The country’s medical system is overwhelming, even though it has the most hospital beds per capita in the developed world. Business has more than doubled in the past two months to more than 406,000, stretching Japan’s medical system to the brink.
Japan was one of the last major economies to approve the use of a coronavirus vaccine and commence its entry into force. This has raised further questions about the country’s ambitious plan to reach the necessary immunity levels in time for the competition.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said last month that his government was “determined” to achieve a safe and secure Olympics. ‘
Kano, the head of the vaccination efforts, said at Tuesday’s news conference that “the Olympics are not on my schedule … we need to think about the concrete amount of supply and then we will come up with a possible target,” on the question of when Japan is expected to reach the benchmark for herd immunity.