Japan will begin vaccinating its health workers on Wednesday, with 40,000 doctors and nurses from 100 hospitals across the country receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech. according to the head of the Japanese vaccine rollout Taro Kano.
Of those 40,000, we asked 20,000 doctors and nurses to keep a diary of their health, temperature, headaches and whatever happens to them, “said Kano.” We’ll watch them for 21 days and then they’ll get a second injection, March 10th. “
After the first round of doctors and nurses, the rollout will continue for 3.7 million doctors, pharmacists, nurses, ambulance drivers and other frontline workers, Kano added.
Vaccinations for seniors will begin in April, and the country is aiming to complete the vaccination of the public within a year.
Olympics at stakeThe rollout comes as Japan will host the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in July, despite growing public opposition and rising costs.
A poll last month by national broadcaster NHK found that 77% of people in Japan think the Games should be canceled or postponed further, largely because of the logistical hurdles that host such a major event in the middle of. hinder public health. crisis.
The country’s medical system is overwhelmed, even though it has the most hospital beds per capita in the developed world. The number of cases has more than doubled in the past two months to more than 406,000, pushing Japan’s medical system to the brim.
Japan was one of the last major economies to approve the use of a coronavirus vaccine and began its rollout, raising further questions about the country’s ambitious plan to achieve the necessary immunity levels in time for competition.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said last month that his government is “determined” to “bring about a safe Olympic Games.”
Kano, the head of the vaccination efforts, said at Tuesday’s press conference that “the Olympics are not on my schedule … we need to think about the concrete number of supplies and then we will figure out a possible target,” on the question of when Japan is expected to reach the benchmark for corporate immunity.