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| Taro Kono, Japan Administrative Reform Award © AFP=News1 |
The Japanese government, which is suffering from a shortage of the new coronavirus vaccine (Corona 19), is considering a plan to inoculate the vaccine only once.
According to the Sankei Shimbun on the 23rd, Japanese Administrative Reform Minister Kono Taro, who is in charge of corona vaccination, appeared on a TV program and said that there is no possibility of only one vaccination, although it presupposes that two vaccinations are given priority at this time. .
The Pfizer vaccine, which was initiated in Japan, originally had to be vaccinated twice, but the amount of vaccines in the world is insufficient, the supply in Japan is uncertain, and the results of a study showing that even a single dose can produce some immunity effect is said. Said.
The COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and Bioentech was found to produce 95% of the preventive effect with two doses as a result of clinical trials. Therefore, in most countries that are vaccinated by Pfizer vaccine, two doses are the default, and Japan also plans to receive two doses every three weeks.
However, as the supply of vaccines is expected to be disrupted due to a shortage of vaccines worldwide, a plan to prioritize a single vaccination in order to get the vaccine to more people is being mentioned.
The Sankei Shimbun heard an Israeli study showing that a single dose of the vaccine reduced the incidence rate by 85%.
The study, published in the British medical journal Lancet, found that a single dose of the vaccine reduced the infection rate by 75% and 85% after 15 to 28 days. Israeli researchers argued that “a study that supports the option of delaying the second vaccination period in order to allow many people to receive the first vaccination in countries where the vaccine is scarce.”
Recently, the UK also increased the interval between the first and second doses to 12 weeks.
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is cautious, saying that the relevant data are insufficient and that it is unscientific.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said in the case of the UK, “It takes a long time to gather data that the first dose alone is effective enough.”
Chief Minister Kato Katsunobu also stressed that “the safety and efficacy have been confirmed and approved on the premise of twice vaccination,” and “First of all, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare must properly collect information.”