Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare gave the first “fast-track approval ” to Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday February 14, 2021 in ages 16 years and older. Stated as “95 percent effective at preventing symptoms of COVID-19”. [1, 2]
On Wednesday February 17, 2021 it began rollout first with 40,000 healthcare workers who will receive two shots to be administered three weeks apart. “Of the initial group of health workers, 20,000 will participate in a study to track side effects potentially caused by the vaccine.”
“A further 3.7 million front-line health workers are to begin receiving the vaccine in March, followed by 36 million people aged 65 or older from April” 2021. ” People with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or heart disease and those working at elderly care facilities will come next, and then finally the general population.”
- COVID-19 vaccinations began 6 months out from the start of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics
- In 2020 Japan had no excess death above expected.
- By April 21, 2021 – Japan PM discussed receiving 50 M additional Pfizer doses, on top of existing agreements for 144 M doses – total 194 M doses, enough for 97 M people.
- By May 2023 Japan’s CV19 vaccine dose orders totalled: Pfizer 194M, Moderna 100M, Oxford/AstraZeneca 120M, Novavax 150M, of that 564M total, 10.24M doses were donated to other countries. This includes booster shots. With Japan’s population in 2021 as 125.6M, the remaing doses equate to 4.4 shots for every single person.