TOKYO (Reuters) – A Japanese health ministry panel said Friday that people age 65 and older should be given priority for vaccination against COVID-19 as the government sets guidelines that prioritize face-to-face health care workers and those with medical conditions.
The panel also identified chronic heart disease, chronic respiratory disease and chronic kidney disease, among others, as basic conditions that should be a priority for the vaccine to be determined.
The proposals would include 36 million elderly and 8.2 million people with medical conditions in the first group to receive vaccine pictures.
Another government panel this week recommended that priority should be given to medical professionals and staff at care facilities for the elderly, and that the elderly and those with basic health conditions should be given priority.
Japan, with a population of 126 million, has agreements to buy 290 million vaccine doses from Pfizer Inc, AstraZeneca Plc and Moderna Inc, or enough for 145 million people.
Japan is currently facing a third wave of coronavirus diseases, putting the country’s medical system under great pressure.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will hold a press conference on Friday on the government’s response to the pandemic.
Reciting with Kiyoshi Takenaka; Edited by Shri Navaratnam and Edmund Klamann