Japan opens mass vaccination sites for elderly ahead of Olympics (updated)

JCR Pharmaceuticals

24/05/2021 06:19

(Adds U.S. State Department urging against Japan travel)
    TOKYO, May 24 (Reuters) - Japan opened mass inoculation
centres on Monday as it races to vaccinate most of its elderly
population before the start of the Tokyo Olympics on July 23.
    The centres in Tokyo and Osaka will vaccinate thousands of
people every day, giving a boost to Japan's sluggish inoculation
drive as the country battles a fourth wave of coronavirus
infections.
    "It's better to get it early," said Tetsuya Urano, 66, who
was among the first to be vaccinated in the capital Tokyo. "It
went pretty smoothly, all in all."
    Just 4.4% of Japan's population of 125 million have received
at least one vaccine dose, according to Reuters' global tracker,
the slowest rate among the world's larger, rich countries. 
    The U.S. State Department on Monday urged against visiting
Japan, adding it to a list of countries with a "Do Not Travel"
designation.
    The Tokyo inoculation facility will operate 12 hours a day
to dispense shots to 10,000 people daily for the next three
months. The site in Osaka, Japan's western metropolis, will
build up to about 5,000 shots a day.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2MK0AI
    Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called for the centres last
month to speed up the vaccination rollout. Large-scale
inoculation sites operated by local governments also opened in
the prefectures of Aichi, Miyagi, and Gunma.
    The fourth wave of infections has led authorities to declare
states of emergency covering much of the country, including
Tokyo, raising some concerns about the Olympic Games due to
begin on July 23.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N2NB00H
    The states of emergency for most regions are due to end on
May 31, though the government is leaning towards extending the
measures, several people with knowledge of the decision told
Reuters. 
    Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura, whose region has been
among the hardest hit in the current wave, told reporters he
would decide on whether to request an extension of the emergency
on Tuesday.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N2N62U5
    Japan began its inoculation push in mid-February, later than
most major economies. The campaign was slowed initially by scant
supplies of imported doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer
Inc  PFE.N  and BioNTech SE  BNTX.O . 
    But even as shipments increased, the rollout has been
hampered by manpower shortages and malfunctions in the
reservation system.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2MU0RF
    The mass vaccination centres for the elderly are using
Moderna Inc's  MRNA.O  vaccine, which was approved on Friday,
along with AstraZeneca PLC's  AZN.L  shot. 
    On Monday, Johnson & Johnson  JNJ.N  said it had filed for
regulatory approval of its one-shot vaccine and it could begin
supplying the country in early 2022.

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SoftBank CEO slams Games as Japan races to catch up on
vaccinations     urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N2NB00H
Reuters global vaccine tracker    https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/vaccination-rollout-and-access/
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 (Reporting by Rocky Swift and Yoshifumi Takemoto; Editing by
Jane Wardell, Giles Elgood and David Clarke)
 ((rocky.swift@thomsonreuters.com;))