Society | Jan 19

Suga appoints Taro Kono as COVID vaccine minister

Jan 19 (Nikkei) - Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters Monday that a new ministerial position has been created to ensure the smooth rollout of Japan's vaccination program.

Taro Kono, currently administrative and regulatory reform minister, will take on the additional role of overseeing vaccine distribution.

Suga had said that he wanted to launch the vaccination program by late February, using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

"We would like to prepare a thorough structure for vaccination," Suga said reporters on Monday.

Suga added: "Vaccines are the key for infection control. We will start [the campaign] by late February, as far as possible. We've been preparing, together with local governments, to deliver vaccinations to those who need them... We will do our best to deliver safe and effective vaccines to all of you."

Source: ANNnewsCH

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