TOKYO (Kyodo) – Japan received second shipment of COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer Inc. on Sunday as they continue to defend an original group of health workers in the first phase of the vaccine rollout.
Shipments reached up to about 450,000 doses of the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus Japan has approved for use arriving at Narita airport near Tokyo after the European Union handed out the green light under the her new vaccine dealer.
Japan, which received the first shipment of up to 386,100 doses from the Pfizer factory in Belgium on February 12, launched its vaccination program on Wednesday for 40,000 health care workers, starting first in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said 5,039 people had been admitted at 68 medical facilities as of Friday.
The government said Saturday it has received reports of boating and chills as possible side effects of the vaccine developed by Pfizer of the United States and BioNTech SE in Germany.
But there have been no reports of severe allergic reactions, also known as anaphylaxis, or deaths after pictures have been administered.
Of the 40,000 health care workers, 20,000 are participating in a study to monitor for possible side effects caused by the vaccine, keeping daily records for seven weeks after they have been vaccinated. get a first of two views. The scenes will be administered three weeks apart.
The next group to be vaccinated since March is about 4.7 million other frontline health care workers nationwide.
People aged 65 and over, a group of about 36 million, will start circulating from April, followed by people with preexisting illnesses and those working at care facilities for the elderly, then finally the population in space, according to the schedule set by the ministry of health.