Japan began rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, starting with an initial group of 40,000 health workers, before later expanding its vaccination program to the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.
The first shots were fired at a state-run hospital in Tokyo, and vaccinations will take place next week in 100 medical facilities across Japan. The country has been relatively slow to launch vaccinations against the novel coronavirus, launching its program later than at least 70 other countries.
The start of vaccinations begins less than six months until the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, and as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, public support is waning amid criticism of a slow pandemic response.
Of the first group of health professionals, 20,000 will participate in a study to monitor the side effects that may be caused by the vaccine developed by the US drug manufacturer Pfizer Inc. and the German BioNTech SE, and the frequency with which they occur.
They will be asked to keep a daily record for seven weeks after taking the first of two shots. The injections are given three weeks apart.
The medical facilities are equipped with ultra-cold freezers that can store the vaccine at minus 75 degrees Celsius. Once withdrawn, doses should be kept refrigerated and used within five days.
A further 3.7 million primary care health workers will begin receiving vaccinations in March, followed by 36 million people 65 or older from April.
People with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or heart disease and those who work in retirement homes will come next, and finally the general population.
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