The Japanese government has inaugurated mass vaccination centers in the cities of Osaka and Tokyo, in an attempt to speed up the immunization process, which is considerably delayed compared to other Western countries, exactly two months after the start of the Olympics. Doctors and nurses belonging to the Self-Defense Forces will be employed in the centers, and will be operational for three months from today without interruption, even during national holidays.
The vaccine in use will be that of Moderna, just approved by the Japanese health authorities last Friday together with the AstraZeneca serum.
According to the plans, the government intends to inoculate up to 10,000 people per day in Tokyo and 5,000 in Osaka, thus providing for the completion of the cycle for people over 65 years of age, which is equivalent to approximately 28% of the population of the Country.
The vaccination program in Japan began in mid-February, following the approval of Pfizer's only vaccine, and only 4% of the 126 million population have been immunized to date.
On Sunday in the Land of the Rising Sun just over 4,000 Covid infections were recorded, with 60 confirmed deaths. The Ministry of Health reported that ICU patients have updated the record to 1,304.