Japan starts COVID mass vaccination

Japan’health ministry confirmed that the mass vaccination program has started with healthcare workers, DW reports. The Asian country authorized only the BioNTech-Pfizer jab so far.

The Tokyo Medical Center has received a new jab against the coronavirus on Wednesday. The mass vaccinations began with doctors and nurses who used to be on the first line, it is about 40,000 medical professionals.

With the first shots in mid-February, Japan has rolled out a cautious vaccination program just over five months before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. After 40,000 medical professionals, 3.7 million more medical workers will be inoculated. The next phase is the vaccination of 36 million people aged 65 and over.

Despite a recent rise in covid numbers, Japan has rather limited outbreak. So far, the government has only approved the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, with the approval process for Oxford-AstraZeneca’s drug has only recently begun. Additionally, a deal has been signed with the 3rd vaccine supplier, Moderna, which has yet to apply for approval.