Japan may start inoculation against Omicron by end of September

Sep 01 (Japan Today) - The government may start inoculating the public specifically against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus by the end of September, rather than mid-October as originally planned, government sources said Tuesday.

U.S. pharmaceutical firms Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc have each applied to the Japanese health ministry for the production and sale of their COVID-19 vaccines tailored for the highly transmissible variant. An experts panel of the ministry is expected to discuss soon whether they should be approved.

Health minister Katsunobu Kato stressed at a news conference on Tuesday that the government will work hard to make the additional inoculation happen sooner than planned, saying that many members of the public have high expectations of it.

The ministry panel this month decided to make Omicron-specific COVID-19 boosters available to all who have completed at least the first two-shot regimen and to make preparations so the additional inoculation can begin in mid-October or later.

If health authorities approve the Omicron boosters, their imports can begin by the end of September. The exact timing of the start of the additional vaccination, however, will depend on when imports can happen and the degree of preparations local authorities will make ahead of the new drive, one of the sources said. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH

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