Japan considers bringing forward COVID booster shots for all: Kishida

By the time they finish considering it the whole thing will be over, lol

I already feel safe without the booster.

I already feel safe without the booster.

So do I, but I’ll still get it when it’s offered.

Since the number of those that reportedly contracted Omicrom is low thus far in Japan, why can't the media report about the status of those people?

So do I, but I’ll still get it when it’s offered.

I agree. It does seem that this Omicron isn't as deadly as the other variants have been, which is good news. It's starting to look like vaccination plus Omicron covid imparts very strong antibodies, almost a super-immunity.

I'll get the booster, because it's a given to non-babies, and if/when I catch Omicron, I'll be happy it's not as strong, and that it's making me stronger.

I'm quite surprised that the vaccination rate has stalled out at 77%! I thought for sure it would be higher. I really would like to ask the 23% who didn't get it what is their logic? Have they recieved other vaccines when they were a child? The most recent Covid case in our prefecture the Darwin award winner was of course unvaccinated!

Booster is just a "Booster", it will "Boost" you up like the mandate is saying...

How about 'considering' that quarantine is scrapped for vaccinated residents? I thought not.

I would consider it if the vaccine worked. Why don’t I need boosters of all my other vaccines like measles every few months?

What are they waiting for?

Jbigs, because this is a world wide pandemic.

6 months is the standard around the world. I don't know why they set it at 8 months. Some countries are looking at shortening the interval to 4 months. However, I'll be waiting the 6 months. If the booster jab is given too early it has no effect because the immune system is still boosted. There is also a new vaccine being developed that specifically targets the Corona virus and not jiust boosts the immune system. It should be released within the next few months. I'm due for my 6 month booster in the end of February. Hopefully, the new vaccine will be available by then.

... bringing forward?

I would consider it if the vaccine worked. Why don’t I need boosters of all my other vaccines like measles every few months?

How often do new variants of the measles appear?

Fine with me - Get me through the winter. My arm is primed.

What, exactly, is to prepare for? Not one death in South Africa or U.S. from Omicron. Let's give everyone boosters, just for kicks?

Reality is that there's lots of money to be made in vaccines but not so much in some treatments. Hope some politicians aren't getting rich.

So many people still haven't figured out what the " so called vaccine " is. Don't people know what the meaning of "Experimental " is? Taking jabs that they told you were 90 percent or more effective and now after 2 jabs you are still not protected. Now you require a booster with talk of regular booster shots after that. All this fear now of Omicron which is just a seasonal flu with mild conditions. What happened to the normal seasonal Flu and colds that we used to have and seem to have disappeared over the last year or so ?

vic.M - I have a seasonal cold right now. They are are still about. Covid is NOT Flu. Why do you keep calling it that?

Until boosters are available, consider supplementing with vitamin D as recommended in this open letter you can read at vitamindforall.org co-signed by over 220 medical doctors and researchers including:

Dr. Ashely Grossman (University of Oxford)

Dr. Giovanna Muscogiuri (University of Naples Federico II)

Dr. Mirchael F. Holick (Boston University Medical Center)

Dr. David Sinclair (Harvard Medical School)

Japan has not seen a surge in Omicron cases, but the government remains on alert, barring new entries by foreigners from abroad 

So I guess the tens of thousands of US Military that come in and out of Japan every year are citizens here too!

Right military and "foreigners" are two totally different animals!

Hurry. Up.

So the Japanese government announces it's bringing its booster program "forward" , but it's really from "behind" compared to some other countries. The Omicron variant has already bolted and the booster is just shutting Covid's stable door, too late to "head the pandemic off at the pass".

From 8 to 6 months?

In France, you can get this booster only three months after the second dose!

What about those that have had covid already? Possibly more than once?

Should they be mandated to get a booster too?

Remember when you were a kid and you were asked "have you had measles, OR have you been vaccinated for it" (and other diseases).

Recovering from the disease IS the vaccine. That's why parents used to have "parties" with their children when one in the community got ill. Don't believe me? Ask your parents, you probably went to one in your childhood.

Until boosters are available, consider supplementing with vitamin D as recommended in this open letter you can read at vitamindforall.org co-signed by over 220 medical doctors and researchers

I got the first two vaccines, and have been supplementing with Vitamin D all year. Sorry to see all those downvotes you got, but some people just don't believe in science. (But they love Fauci.)

What are they waiting for?

Supplies of vaccines. Maybe?

Demand and need for the vaccine in Europe, US and many other countries far outstrips Japan. My guess is they won't get supplies to give everyone their booster shot for a couple of months. Probably that's the real reason behind why Kishida says he's considering. Nothing to give out. Bit like just before the Olympics. Wonder if he's having second thoughts about the Go To Travel. That's probably next on his things to consider list. Alongside his things to urge list and people (prosecutors) to pay off list.

That's why parents used to have "parties" with their children when one in the community got ill. Don't believe me? Ask your parents, you probably went to one in your childhood.

Some people also used to put butter on burns, and suck snake bite venom out of victims.

Medical science has moved on.

Im looking forward to getting my booster.

@indigo: What are you talking about?

I remain vaccine-free, active everyday, eat good food, sleep at least 8 hours a day, get a lot of sunshine and fresh air being outside, wear mask in public places. Meanwhile, please make booster available for those who need it or up to it… at this rate it might become a monthly thing.

“like the mandate is saying...”

NO such mandate here in Japan. Bring that notion back to where you are.

“Have they recieved other vaccines when they were a child? “

Yes. I received various types of vaccines for the prevention of various diseases… also have the annual flu shot. All felt comfortable with those vaccines. Not current COVID vaccines. Will do when I become comfortable with them. Maybe with something from Shionogi if they are successful with it.

By the time the government decides to shorten the wait for the vaccine booster from 8 or 7 months to 6 months whatever, it will already be 8 months later for many anyhow, particularly the aged vaccinated first, already now having 6 months passed.

Anyone who believes there are only a few cases of Omicron in Japan because only a small number of community spread cases have been found is deluding themselves, It doesn't just magically appear out of the air in those few cases. They caught it from other people who have not been found, who caught it from other people who have not been found and of course so it goes on. The symptoms are even more mild to none in many people then the previous variants, so most would not even think of getting tested even if they could ( which basically they can't in Japan) or wanted to ( why would they want the stigma of being infected, off work and forced into hospital of 10 days or two weeks, when not even ill).

The rising number of the tip of the iceberg community spread omicron cases they keep discovering everyday clearly tell us it is not just a small number of omicron in Japan at all but rapidly increasing. This may or may not be a good thing but it makes no difference as the spread cannot be stopped.

The alleged need for boosters has nothing to do with variants. It's because of the rapidly waning immune response conferred by these experimental "vaccines". 

The vaccines are not experimental, and recognized as proper vaccines, effective and safe by the scientific and medical consensus. The vaccine effectively protects people from the complications, hospitalizations, death produced by the infection, but the immunity against the previous variants (including the one adquired after infection) is less effective against the variants, so the boosters are of course related to them, if no variants were produced the need of boosters would be not present for all the people for which the protection is still adequate.

Will do when I become comfortable with them

This is a logical as refusing to wear a seat belt (but keep driving) because you want to wait until a new model is available.

So many people still haven't figured out what the " so called vaccine " is.

Yes, the people that contradict every single institution of science or medicine of the world, which say they are vaccines, safe and effective.

How often do new variants of the measles appear?

Since herd immunity is common al over the world they have much less opportunity to appear, also important is that mutations in negative stranded viruses are less likely and that the virus had centuries to adapt as best as possible to human transmission, which means any variant is more likely to be less adapted than the predominant one. None of those factors applies to COVID.

The vaccines are not experimental, and recognized as proper vaccines, effective and safe by the scientific and medical consensus. 

The vaccines are experimental, only recognized as proper vaccines, effective but maybe safe by human scientific and medical consensus that has a history of corruption. How do you think so many dangerous opioids make it past the FDA which caused the crisis?

There’s no need for consideration. Just observe what’s happening in other countries and decide from there. Why does he think Japan is a special case?

The vaccines are experimental, only recognized as proper vaccines, effective but maybe safe by human scientific and medical consensus that has a history of corruption. 

False, in Japan none of the vaccines have been qualified as experimental, and expecting people to just blindly believe all the scientists and doctors/nurses/technicians/pharmacologists of the world are in a conspiracy that would affect them, their family and friends is not realistic.

Opioids became a problem in one single country, even when they were promoted all over the world, that is because of particulars in the health and insurance system of the US, in the rest of the world the scientific and medical consensus was against their adoption as promoted by the makers.

My son, almost 4, got Covid a few weeks ago. Pretty much resembled a cold.

My wife and I had both gotten our Moderna boosters about a week or two earlier, and though our kid was coughing all over us and hopping into bed with us, et cetera, we both tested negative after 5 days of exposure.

I realize that every immune system is different, but from our experience, the vaccine works.

I would consider it if the vaccine worked. Why don’t I need boosters of all my other vaccines like measles every few months?

How often do new variants of the measles appear?

The alleged need for boosters has nothing to do with variants. It's because of the rapidly waning immune response conferred by these "vaccines". The boosters are still based on the original Wuhan strain, they have not been updated based on the sequence of the heavily mutated Omicron spike protein.

Nationwide, 385 daily COVID-19 infections were confirmed Tuesday with Osaka reporting the most among all areas at 51, followed by Tokyo at 46 and Okinawa at 29. The health ministry said a record 69 people coming from abroad had been confirmed to be infected with the virus at Japanese airports.

Of course some of us will keep saying that this result is based on lack of testing, but how can those guys can guaratee that having same number of test as S. Korea and Australia do would be 3.000 cases daily?

Giving downvotes to me is an easy thing to do, but how about share your thoughts that strongly support your idea? Even if the number of test were like in England, the supposed number of new cases would be 0.08%.

Another thing, how testing everyone will guarantee that number of deaths will be zero? South Korea and Australia; countries that test everyone has huge number of deaths. Are you really sure that testing everyone will impede number of deaths?

I'm not against testing people, but we need to understand that our focus should be taking care of ourself by keeping the rules and having good healthy habits. No matter how many people are being testing each day, if the number of deaths is high, this testing thing will be meaningless. Instead of focusing on number of test, why not focus on making people aware of the importance of washing hands properly and eat healthly? Another thing, no matter how many doses you took, if you dont have healthy habits, the risk of die is same. Vaccines are important, but having healthy habits is important too.

The alleged need for boosters has nothing to do with variants. It's because of the rapidly waning immune response conferred by these "vaccines". The boosters are still based on the original Wuhan strain, they have not been updated based on the sequence of the heavily mutated Omicron spike protein.

This is self contradictory, if the boosters had nothing to do with variants then it would be irrelevant against which strain they were made against nor they would need any need of being updated.

In reality the reduced efficacy of the immunity (both from vaccines and natural infection) against the variants is the reason the boosters are recommended for those at an elevated risk and that also benefit those that were infected before, the booster increases the immunity so the extra risk is eliminated.

Since herd immunity is common al over the world they have much less opportunity to appear, also important is that mutations in negative stranded viruses are less likely and that the virus had centuries to adapt as best as possible to human transmission, which means any variant is more likely to be less adapted than the predominant one. None of those factors applies to COVID.

Thank you. Therefore it's clear that we need the boosters, as they still work to protect against the new variants we have seen so far, which is a much better position than relying on immunity from the natural infection which has seen similar reductions in protection as the vaccines. I wasn't really expecting you to answer, but thank you for clarifying it for those that might be a little confused about it.

Over 77 percent of the population has received two shots of a COVID-19 vaccine. The government is shortening the interval between second and third shots from eight months to six for health care workers and older people.

A good number by the way.

when there are still unknowns about the new variant.

What unknowns?

We know it is highly contagious but not deathly like the delta.

Japan has not seen a surge in Omicron cases, but the government remains on alert, barring new entries by foreigners from abroad and offering free PCR and antigen testing in some areas including Tokyo

Has testing not been free since the start of the pandemic when performed by the health centers?

Kishida has said there is a need to prepare for a worst-case scenario and that the nation's border control measures, one of the most stringent among advanced economies, will remain in place for the time being.

The bolded should read "One of the most discriminatory in the world"

drluciferToday  12:16 pm JST

Has testing not been free since the start of the pandemic when performed by the health centers?

Nope. I suspected I had it, made an appointment and went to a clinic and they said "Nah, you're fine, but we can test you for 25,000 yen"

UK has the lateral flow tests that anyone can have for free, as many as they want.

Japan testing is a total joke.

So, 77% have had two jabs which didn't prevent infection or transmission and the third is for what exactly, to prevent a slight headache and the sniffles?

Having seen people with the virus up (pre vaccines) close I’ll be refusing the booster as there is no data regarding multiple injections with these vaccines on our immune systems.

I am not a guinea pig ready to allow companies producing vaccines to inject me and not accept liability for their overpriced products

Thank the gods. And here I thought they were going to buck the trend of not deciding things quickly.

I am not a guinea pig ready to allow companies producing vaccines to inject me and not accept liability for their overpriced products

You are paying for them anyway unless you also refuse to pay any tax!

I'm double vaxed and still think it was the right thing to do based n the situation at the time. But I'm very skeptical of this booster push. Where is the data to show that the booster is effective against omicron? All the messaging is they expect it will be effective, just because it was effective against delta. Since when did expectations about efficacy become acceptable science? We still don't even have clarity on how dangerous omicron really is, but as each day passes it's looking more and more like a stroke of good fortune for the world.

@theResident

It’s immaterial whether I pay for them or not-it’s not going in my arm…

@kurisupisu: Fair - but I'm very happy you are paying for mine :) Thank you!

klausdorth

One Oicron death for an unvaccinated person in the US, Germany also reporting fatalities (? concerning the "...ies"), same goes for Australia. Okay, it's not in the thousands, but claiming Omicron doesn't caause fatalities is just wrong!

ONE death in a country of 80 million (without indication of the persons age and health either), and we are supposed to panic? So far, the SA pattern is replicated everywhere: Omicron is very infectious and very mild. In other words, it should be end of the pandemic.

I'm quite surprised that the vaccination rate has stalled out at 77%! I thought for sure it would be higher. I really would like to ask the 23% who didn't get it what is their logic? Have they recieved other vaccines when they were a child? The most recent Covid case in our prefecture the Darwin award winner was of course unvaccinated!

Well MarkX since you asked for some peoples reasons and logic, here's a couple. There is the VAERS data base, which claims there is over 20,000 deaths and many more adverse reactions to this vaccine. There is also the fact that data base only represents about 1% of the deaths and bad reactions. There is a similar data base in Europe. Since Doctors are not required to fill out the forms for this data Base and since Doctors are taught that all Vaccines and Medicines are usually good things, I found it illogical to take a vaccine since I'm reasonably healthy and know exactly Zero people who've come down with any virus over the last 2 years. Now back in 2017 and 2018 we had 2 or 3 people catch the flu who worked for our company, but nothing serious, that was also the time with the highest deaths by flu in Japan. BTW, I am not anti vaccine, although in this case since it's an experiment, I do not wish to be a guinea pig, however anyone wishing to take the vaccine is free to do so or not.

I'm quite surprised that the vaccination rate has stalled out at 77%! I thought for sure it would be higher.

It's because eligible population only accounts for around 77% of total. The rest 23% are children and babies.

? All the messaging is they expect it will be effective, just because it was effective against delta. 

Pfizer said itself the booster is efficient at 70% against Omicron, dropping to 30-40% after 10 weeks

You would have been correct about VAERS but then you invent statistics like this and believe that it is a fact. That's when you lost you credibility.

Data from Digital healthcare research, and I believe there are others besides this one. Stop with the credibility crap, most governments and Main Stream Press all over the world has lost credibility on this pandemic, by not allowing any debate what so ever, just mandates and lockdowns from high above. The VAERS data base is almost never even mentioned within the Main Stream, and any organization that so much as tells anything opposite of the Main Stream is quickly decharacterized and attacked. Which actually sounds similar to what you just tried to do to me, and I'm just writing down the facts.

While the virus rapidly spreads through Japan, you can do some more considering.

Recent studies have shown infection from Omicron variant provides antibodies to protect from Delta variant, even better protection than from boosters or jabs. It might be beneficial to allow Omicron to spread amongst the population. Its really a sheep in wolf's clothing.

@commanteer

Thank you for your kind words. I wish you (and everyone else in the comment section) the best of health in the new year.

No chance Ashley. Only submitted for approval on Dec 16th (in Japan) as a primary vaccine. As a booster jab, that could be anywhere from 6 months to a year away as that requires separate approval.

@MarkX asked:

I'm quite surprised that the vaccination rate has stalled out at 77%! I thought for sure it would be higher.

@justasking replied:

It's because eligible population only accounts for around 77% of total. The rest 23% are children and babies.

Thank you, @justasking, for clarifying this.

In fact, approximately 90 percent of the eligible population has been vaccinated. That's pretty remarkable, especially considering how slow and clumsy the rollout was under the Suga administration.

@zichi

What good is money if I am dead?

The only injection I would consider is the AstraZeneca shot and that seems not to be on offer anymore…

As always, Virusrex posts the best information and is downvoted.

This is why we're going to enter year 3 of the pandemic.

151E

Until boosters are available, consider supplementing with vitamin D as recommended in this open letter you can read at vitamindforall.org co-signed by over 220 medical doctors and researchers including: (snip)

I do not think any medical doctors are against supplementing with vitamin D if you live in a Northern country and do not spend a lot time in the sun. That is just a universal recommendation. Vitamin D deficiency makes you more vulnerable to all sorts of things, including of course Covid.

kurisupisu

What good is money if I am dead?

The only injection I would consider is the AstraZeneca shot and that seems not to be on offer anymore…

Only Novavax or Valneva for me, thank you. The "viral vector" technology used in AstraZenica and JJ, while a bit older than mRNA, is not a traditional vaccine either.

zichi

Many young healthy people, including sportspeople, have died from covid and others have the problem of long covid.

Do you have data about these "many young healthy people" and "sportspeople" who have died from Covid?

In the statistics I have looked at, the death risk for the young and healthy population group is pretty much zero. On the other hand, I have seen long lists of young healthy sportspeople (i.e. top football players) who were vaccinated and now suddenly died of a surprising heart attack.

Would be curious to know what you base your opinion on.

In reality the reduced efficacy of the immunity (both from vaccines and natural infection) against the variants

No, the immunity plummets rapidly even for previous variants. Protection is short lived, period. And as mentioned, these boosters are not specific for omicron. It's like getting a box of assorted chocolates but you only want to eat one type and you throw away most of the remaining chocolates.

zichi

Yes. There are many articles online from a simple search.

Well, can you point to an article that lists young and healthy sportspeople that have died of Covid? In particular one that gives numbers, and not just opinions.

A "simple search" in Google will give you a lot of opinion articles from the corporate mainstream media that Google prioritizes in the top hits, I realize that. But that is not really something to base such a big claim on.

The vaccine offers a great deal of immunity against being so ill with covid you need to be hospitalised.

I already posses that immunity by having had the real thing so really there's no incentive for me to get it.

Pfizer said itself the booster is efficient at 70% against Omicron, dropping to 30-40% after 10 weeks

Interesting, considering omicron has only been identified around 6 weeks or so ago. How could they possibly have 10 week data?