[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Japan is considering utilizing pharmacists to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccination process.
Taro Kono, the minister in charge of COVID-19 vaccination and administrative reform in Japan, stated at a press conference on the 18th that they are considering using pharmacists to secure medical personnel capable of administering vaccines, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
Currently, medical professionals authorized to administer COVID-19 vaccines in Japan are limited to doctors, nurses, and dentists.
Minister Kono said, "We want to respond while monitoring how much the shortage of personnel to administer (vaccines) can be resolved by doctors, nurses, and dentists."
According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's statistics as of December 2018, there are approximately 310,000 pharmacists in Japan. This number is similar to that of doctors (330,000) and exceeds that of dentists (100,000).
Last month, the Japanese government conditionally approved vaccinations administered by dentists to speed up the COVID-19 vaccination process.
Minister Kono also revealed that about 30 major local governments nationwide are considering independently establishing large-scale vaccination centers.
The Ministry of Defense plans to open large-scale vaccination centers in Tokyo and Osaka on the 24th, and the idea is to set up similar facilities across various regions to increase the vaccination speed.
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