Japan Starts Booster Shots Today... For Those Aged 18 and Over, 8 Months After Second Dose

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Japan will begin administering the third dose (booster shot) of the COVID-19 vaccine starting from the 1st.

According to Kyodo News on the 1st, the third dose targets residents of Japan aged 18 and over who have completed two doses and passed eight months.

The third dose, which began nationwide on this day at hospitals including the National Hospital Tokyo Medical Center and local government vaccination sites, will initially be given to about 2 million healthcare workers.

From next month, the third dose will be administered to approximately 36 million elderly people aged 65 and over.

Vaccination with vaccines from different pharmaceutical companies than those used for the first and second doses is also accepted, but for the time being, the third dose will be given using Pfizer products approved by the authorities. Moderna products will be available after approval by the authorities.

In Japan, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were mainly used for the first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses.

As of the previous day, the completion rate for the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Japan is 76.9%.

The Japanese government plans to simultaneously proceed with vaccinations for those who have not completed the first and second doses and the third dose for those who have completed the second dose.

According to the Tokyo Shimbun, with the first confirmed case of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron detected during airport quarantine in Japan the previous day, voices from the ruling party and local governments are growing louder, demanding the rapid administration of the third vaccine dose.

However, considering vaccine supply and other factors, the Japanese government intends to maintain the principle of administering the third dose to those who have passed eight months after the second dose.

At a press conference the previous day, Health, Labour and Welfare Minister Shigeyuki Goto stated regarding the increasing calls to shorten the eight-month interval, "There is currently no change to the plan."