Vaccination started in Japan… No. 1 Vaccination Hospital Director “Nothing Hurts”

Tokyo Medical Center in Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan at 9 am on the 17th. The center’s director Kazuhiro Araki (新木一弘) rolled up his left sleeve as he entered the temporary new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccination center. The doctor poked the needle with a sign saying “let’s go in”. It took 20 seconds from the moment he sat down to complete the vaccination.

At the Tokyo Medical Center in Japan on the morning of the 17th, the director of the hospital, Kazuhiro Araki, is receiving Pfizer’s Corona 19 vaccine. [AP=연합뉴스]

In Japan, the Corona 19 vaccination began on this day. At 100 national medical institutions nationwide, including the Tokyo Medical Center, 40,000 medical workers such as doctors and nurses are given priority. At the Tokyo Medical Center, 12 people, including Director Araki, who received the first vaccination, were vaccinated that day, and 800 staff members will receive the first vaccination. “I wasn’t sick at all,” said Araki, “I hope that the priority vaccination of medical staff will help many citizens to receive the vaccination with confidence.”

The 40,000 medical staff to be vaccinated this time are volunteers for monitoring to confirm the safety of the vaccine. Of these, 20,000 people check their physical condition such as fever or pain for 7 weeks after vaccination and report it to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. When the second vaccination for them is completed in early March, the vaccination for 3.7 million medical staff nationwide will begin in earnest.

From April, 36 million elderly people aged 65 or older will receive the vaccination. Afterwards, patients with underlying diseases (approximately 8.2 million people) and elderly facility workers (approximately 2 million people) will inoculate in order. It is expected that the general public under the age of 65 will be vaccinated after summer.

Japan Corona 19 vaccination schedule. Graphic = Reporter Cha Junhong [email protected]

Taro Kono, who is in charge of vaccination, said at a press conference the day before, “We plan to take one year as the vaccination period until the end of February next year, and respond flexibly according to the supply and demand situation of the vaccine.”

The location of the vaccination is decided by each local government. When large-scale vaccinations begin in April, the plan is to provide’group vaccinations’ at large facilities such as gymnasiums and’individual vaccinations’ at private hospitals. Japanese media reported that sumo wrestlers and local residents are expected to be vaccinated together in Tokyo’s sumo stadium, Ryokoku, Kokugikan (國技館).

Japan decided to import 144 million doses of Pfizer vaccine (72 million people), 120 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine (60 million people), and 50 million doses of Modena vaccine (25 million people) over last year and early this year. Although the contract was completed, the start of vaccination was delayed by more than two months compared to the US and Europe. This is because of the regulations that require domestic clinical trials to be approved for use in Japan. Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide said, “The government will take responsibility and create the environment so that all citizens can receive the vaccine as soon as possible.”

On the evening of the 16th, an employee at the Tokyo Medical Center is checking the temperature of the Pfizer vaccine arriving at the hospital. [로이터=연합뉴스]

However, it is unclear whether the supply will be supplied as scheduled as the world is experiencing a’vaccine crisis’. Japan is receiving vaccines from Pfizer’s plant in Europe. As the European Union (EU) tightens regulations on vaccine exports, each plane carrying the vaccine must obtain individual approval from the EU. Currently, 400,000 batches (for 200,000 people) of the first quantity are in Japan, and the second quantity will arrive next week. It is not known how much secondary supply will be.

In Japan, until now, only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for use by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and AstraZeneca has applied for approval. Regarding whether the AstraZeneca vaccine is vaccinated for the elderly aged 65 or older, Kono said, “The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will make a full review and decision during the review process.” Asrazeneca will supply 30 million doses (15 million people) of vaccine to Japan by March.

Tokyo = Correspondent Lee Young-hee [email protected]