TOKYO (AP) – Japan rolls out its COVID-19 vaccination campaign Wednesday after the government gives a late initial approval to a Pfizer Inc. co-developed shot that the US and many other countries started using two months ago.
Some in Japan, where relatively rare side effects from vaccines are common, are in no rush to get the chance. After a year’s delay, this reluctance could prove to be a major problem for the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for this summer. Vaccinations are considered a key to keeping the games going.
As the development of domestic vaccines is still in its infancy, import-dependent Japan is facing supply uncertainty. It is also unclear whether the already overloaded Japanese health care system will be able to handle the extra visitors during the games as they juggle local patients and the mass inoculations.
The AP is examining why Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, is so late in pursuing coronavirus vaccinations.
WHY THE DELAY?
It’s mainly because the government has requested clinical tests in Japan in addition to Pfizer’s multinational tests, which did not include Japan.
Dozens of countries accepted the results of the Pfizer tests released in November and moved on. Pfizer filed for emergency clearance in Japan in December, based on the overseas data, but Tokyo waited for the results of the Japanese tests submitted in late January before giving the green light on Sunday.
This all happened in two months, much faster than the one-year average for Japan, which is known for being cautious and bogged down in bureaucracy.
The approval process for another vendor, AstraZeneca, has only recently started, while a third, Moderna Inc., has not yet filed in Japan.
WHY DID JAPAN REQUEST MORE DATA?
People in Japan are often skeptical about vaccines, and officials felt they needed to thoroughly address the safety concerns.
Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said last week that Asians included “only a small percentage” of Pfizer tests, which were conducted on approximately 44,000 people in six countries from July to November.
Still, that means the data includes samples from about 2,000 Asians. Some critics wonder if the additional tests on just 160 Japanese added anything – other than more lag.
Taro Kono, government reform minister for vaccinations, defended the delay. “It was more important for the government to show the Japanese people that everything was done” to encourage taking the vaccines, he said.
WHY IS THE TRUST IN JAPAN SO LOW?
Japan’s mistrust of vaccines has been around for decades. Many people have a vague concern about vaccines, in part because their side effects are often played out.
In the 1990s, the government dropped mandatory vaccinations after a court ruling held it responsible for side effects associated with several of them.
More recently, Japan stopped recommending the human papillomavirus or HPV vaccine following media reports of alleged side effects, renewing concerns despite the vaccine’s widespread use abroad as a safe and effective protection against cervical cancer.
A recent survey in the Mainichi newspaper found that less than 40% of respondents are eager to get their coronavirus shots right away, while about 60% said they will wait and see.
WHAT IS THE TIMELINE OF JAPAN’S VACCINATION?
About 40,000 primary care workers treating COVID-19 patients will receive their first injections of the Pfizer vaccine in 100 hospitals. Half of them will participate in an adverse event study and subsequent health checks to ease public safety concerns.
About 3.7 million other medical workers will be next. It is expected that the elderly will be next in April, ahead of those with underlying health problems.
It will be about June by the time those over the age of 16 are eligible.
DOES JAPAN HAVE ENOUGH VACCINE?
Despite the late start, Japan quickly signed deals with Pfizer and two other companies, AstraZeneca and Moderna, in July, while the vaccines were still in development.
Japan has collected 344 million doses by the end of this year, enough to cover its entire population. That includes 144 million doses from Pfizer, 120 million from AstraZeneca and 50 million from Moderna.
Japan promised to receive population-wide doses by June, but the outlook is uncertain due to shortages in Europe, where many of Pfizer and AstraZeneca stocks are produced.
Taro Kono, the minister responsible for vaccinations, described the outlook for getting the vaccines on time as “difficult” on Tuesday. While optimistic, he said deliveries from Europe will determine the campaign’s progress in Japan.
IS JAPAN DEVELOPING ITS OWN VACCINES?
Several Japanese companies and research organizations are developing vaccines against coronavirus, but these are still in the early stages.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. will distribute the Moderna vaccine and manufacture the Novavax vaccine at home, and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. will manufacture the AstraZeneca vaccine under a licensing agreement.
Only AstraZeneca is currently in the approval process.
Experts say vaccine development in Japan has become an unpopular area of research due to the risks, the time-consuming process and a lack of government funding.
Shigeru Omi, the head of the government’s coronavirus task force, cites a lack of global competitiveness of Japanese pharmaceutical companies as the reason for the delayed rollout.