Japan starts COVID-19 vaccinations for elderly

Japan will start vaccinating elderly people against the novel coronavirus Monday,

Finally innoculation for for public will start in mid April. So far only less than 1% of Japan population being vaccinated.

What they don’t mention is that half of those over 65 will refuse the vaccine.

Please, no need to say Japan is late or bashing Japan.

Many countries are “late” or haven’t started yet and we all know that is depends on the makers production capacities and priorities to deliver to some countries. And priority countries like the US or UK have been badly hit by the virus, thanks to the incompetence of the top leaders being on the deny, catching themselves the covid

They started with medical workers in February! I mean really now, its the middle of April and they havent finished yet.

With nearly 1/3 of the population being "elderly", it's going to take literally months, if not until the end of the year, before they get theirs!

This is a crying shame!

If only the government had some time, like a year, to plan and build the infrastructure for a swift distribution of the vaccine as soon as they are approved and the doses available...

More than two thirds of health care workers have yet to receive the vaccine along with medical students who visit medical facilities. Opting for the Pfizer vaccine was a mistake. It is difficult to store and transport. This is leading to holdups in the delivery chain. They should have gone with the Sputnik from Russia but politics came first.

At long last.

The vaccination rate in Japan, which depends on imports of coronavirus vaccines, is far behind Britain and the United States, and lower than the global average of 5 percent.

Ok, but what is the vaccination rate in Japan??

About time. Where’s mine?

the US vaccinated 4.6 million people YESTERDAY.

Why can’t I get injected by any nurse, pharmacist or a vet, for Christ’s sakes? I’m mean it’s not rocket science. Swab with alcohol, jab, push the plunger, don’t break off the needle in my arm. Monitor for 15 min., if I am the 1 in a million with an anaphylactic reaction, epi pen and send me home.

never in my wildest dreams did I think that the US would post-war Japan lessons in logistics.

The vaccination rate in Japan, which depends on imports of coronavirus vaccines, is far behind Britain and the United States, and lower than the global average of 5 percent.

Ok, but what is the vaccination rate in Japan??

It's really slow, only 100,000 people/workday (apparently in Japan COVID takes a break on weekends) and less than 1/2 million have been fully vaccinated.

If you look at the numbers each facility has inoculated an average of 13 people a day.

At this rate the elderly are likely to die from old age (or COVID) before they can get vaccinated.

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/vaccine_sesshujisseki.html

the US vaccinated 4.6 million people YESTERDAY.

Why do people INSIST on making comparisons to the US for everything here? The US is far from the center of the universe, and it's truly annoying as hell!

If it were logistically feasible, I would go home for the express purpose of getting vaccinated.

Unfortunately, even as a permanent resident, the hurdles to re-entry are just too high at this point.

"" As of Friday, 1.1 million people had received at least one shot,""

Now take a look at this:

""Health services across the UK have now administered over 36.6 million vaccines between 8 December and 02 April, including over 31.4 million people with their first dose and over 5.2 million with their second""

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/5-million-people-in-the-uk-receive-second-dose-of-covid-19-vaccine

The elderly are responsible for reserving their shots by using a call centre or the internet. That won't take time at all... ugh. Why does Japan love to make things more difficult than it needs to be? Oh wait, they're always right.

I don't think the general public will see vaccinations until the end of the year at this rate. Stay safe out there everybody.

They should have gone with the Sputnik from Russia but politics came first.

They could not do that, Sputnik has not even applied for approval to be used in Japan, much less received it, that means it cannot be used.

Yes, the Japanese approval process is insanely slow and complicated, but if other manufacturers have managed to deal with it and even secured the rights to be used then the one responsible for Sputnik not being used here is Russia.

virusex.....I know, they should have started the application process at the same time..IF there was a demand.

We all know Japan. It takes time to get things going, but once it is in the hands of the medical professionals and out of the hands of the politicians it will speed up.

The same thing happened in the UK.

Poor country i feel pity, they dont have their own vaccines on top of that they are refraining from foreign vaccines. Most of the developed world has inoculated more than 15% of their population. This slow inoculation shows that this country is really aging. Anyways best of luck and lets hope that the country will not end up being brazil.

*It's really slow, only 100,000 people/workday (apparently in Japan COVID takes a break on weekends) and less than 1/2 million have been fully vaccinated.*

At that rate, the over 18 population will take something like eight years.

There is no demand for the vaccine here.

I don't know anyone who will take it.

Times of Israel reports:

"The South African variant of the coronavirus is notably more adept at “breaking through” the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine than other variants are, Israeli scientists have found, in a first-of-its-kind real-world study.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/real-world-israeli-data-shows-south-african-variant-better-at-bypassing-vaccine/

This would mean that they are already starting to admit (or claim with some ulterior motive) that the not-vaccines do not help against "variants".

This is just PR to look good that the are doing something. Before one can ring or use Internet to make an appointment one needs a coupon. How long will it take for the coupons to be sent out ( weeks/months). Then when making an appointment how long will it take (weeks/months) to get an appointment, and will that even be guaranteed as vaccine supply may/will cause disruptions. And how do they handle the super freezing requirements of this vaccine in the far reaches of rural Japan where many elderly are

I will be surprised if Japan completes vaccinations of the elderly before next winter or even the end of the year

This would mean that they are already starting to admit (or claim with some ulterior motive) that the not-vaccines do not help against "variants".

That's not what the study says. What it means is we need to remain vigilant until this has been handled on a global basis. The best way of tamping down variants is to keep wearing masks, get everyone vaccinated globally and maintain travel restrictions for places that have not reached vaccination levels.

If there's one thing the Japanese government can do without loosing much, if any, political capital, it's maintaining an isolationist stance.

Be that as it may it is worth noting: 1) The UK strain appears to crowd out the South African variant. And the main vaccines do appear to give good protection against the UK variant. 2) The new RNA vaccines can be modified and tested quickly. Pfizer/BioNtech already has a booster that targets the South African variant in clinical trials.

If anything, get used to the idea of boosters for the next few years until this has been eradicated globally.

There is a serious misleading mistake in this article in the second paragraph. The Japanese government should be more honest.

The government is planning to secure enough shots of the vaccine

It should read...

*The government is hoping to secure enough shots of the vaccine*

>

er zichi - some answers to your questions here:

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/04/12/national/coronavirus-japan-vaccines-elderly/

and you know very well that only Pfizer is being used in Japan thus far (as I suspect you know all the other answers too)

If we are going to wait for every single mild allergic reaction to be published in full, then we might as well give up now. Stop being difficult for the sake of it. Bread didn't rise properly this morning?

deliver them to municipalities by late June

My municipality's website says they're expecting delivery towards the end of this month. Vaccinations are expected to start after Golden Week (no worries, the virus apparently doesn't infect folk during public holidays). No indication whether that delivery will be enough to cover everyone or whether it will be 'one box'.

So people in towns that don't get a delivery till late June won't get their jabs before July at the earliest, if they're right at the top of the priority list?

there is concern that doctors and nurses may not be able to keep up with the vaccination schedule.

Why is it limited to doctors and nurses, who are busy with other stuff like keeping people alive in the ICU? They've had months and months to work this out; why hasn't there been a programme to train volunteers to give injections? Pharmacists, vets, medical students, heck with a bit of training I'm sure I could do it.

I never had a very high opinion of bureaucracy and guvmint officials, but in this instance incompetent doesn't even begin to do them justice.

@cleo - Agreed. It's all going to be way too slow. I've looked at the website and as usual its paperwork paperwork paperwork - i don't there will be tweets going out on unused vaccines that day being available like elsewhere in the world.

Vaccine deliveries to the country's prefectures started last week with 100 boxes, each enough for two shots for 500 people, so far distributed.

50,000 people. Absolitely pathetic.

The J-Gov't considers this an accomplishment? lol

This would mean that they are already starting to admit (or claim with some ulterior motive) that the not-vaccines do not help against "variants".

No, it means that the neutralization of the antibodies is not enough to render the immunized people negative to the test, not helping against variants would be the same rate of complications and death as in non-vaccinated people, which has not been reported.

@Dan There is no demand for the vaccine here.

I don't know anyone who will take it.

Same here! I have talked to hundreds of people, and not one is taking it, including myself, and my family.

>

If only the government had some time, like a year, to plan and build the infrastructure for a swift distribution of the vaccine as soon as they are approved and the doses available...

You forgot the 10 year long term clinical trial period.

it seems now, the pyhzer one doesn’t work properly with the SA Variant, and the English one is slowly killing uneffected people. Let’s just wait a while and take one step at a time.

So any over 65 received their coupon yet? Anyone able to book an appointment without the coupon? Where do they even find 50,000 people for this PR roll out if no one can complete the paperwork! Maybe special dispensation for connected family members or friends or others rounded up for this PR event. There have to be lots of smiling faces, rejoicing and congratulations on the TV news today about the start of the jab to the elderly, There won’t be any questions about the low numbers of available doses, pace of the rollout orhow long it will take though.

Yes zichi - I am aware that Dai-Ichi Sankyo are manufacturing AZ here, and that both that and Moderna are up from approval here. Hopefully sometime in May. There are 120 million doses being prepared here by 3 manufacturers.

Ricky is right - Sadly a lot of people don't want the vaccine in Japan, much like France. Idiots.

There is a serious misleading mistake in this article in the second paragraph. The Japanese government should be more honest.

*The government is planning to secure enough shots of the vaccine*

It should read...

The government is hoping to secure enough shots of the vaccine

Na, it should be "Japan is URGING companies to please, pretty please, send us some"

@Goodlucktoyou: Here is the problem - People like yourself using phrases like 'it seems' 'apparently' 'Let's wait a while' Much like the Government.

Its Pfizer to correct your spelling.

In Yokohama the local ward office website says:

”Based on vaccine supply information from the national government, group vaccinations are scheduled to begin on the week of May 17.”

It also says that eligible residents will be send a notification to be able to register and that would begin at the beginning of May for residents over 90! The “over 65” appointment notifications are “expected” to go out at the end of May.

No one in the general population will be getting their shot any time soon!

No one in the general population will be getting their shot any time soon!

In the meantime, while the LDP-led government prevaricated for fear of upsetting the IOC, the number of Japanese people who have died from covid-19 has doubled since the end of January.

And again, bare of logic. Although it’s very nice and respectful to vaccinate the elderly first, at the same time the few younger people, or let’s say it more dramatically, the future of the country, is further exposed to the attacking viruses and set at risk. Regarding higher rates under younger people and also the severe LongCovid problems, the question must be allowed, who will stay left to keep that country running in some years, as that’s not the elderly anymore then, but only LongCovid handicapped mid-age and even fewer youth left then. Do you understand what I mean? No, of course not, but someone has to bring it into discussion.

The Pfizer vaccine is administered twice, three weeks apart.

An important fact that seems to have been missed by this person...

"I hope that (as we have) taken this vaccine, my daughters will be able to visit," she said with a smile.

...and also alarmingly by this director of a nursing home...

"Those vaccinated seemed relieved. We would like to start considering how to resume family visits which have been suspended due to the pandemic," said Fusayo Tsutsumi, director of the home.

There shouldn’t be any sense of relief yet, or letting down of any guards. Three weeks to the second jab, and then two weeks after that until immunity levels should kick in.

Let’s do this properly. No short cuts or half measures. And let’s make sure everyone is absolutely clear on the process and timings.

“Now, if a tiny piece of the virus changes, like the .3% I’ve just described, if you are reinfected by that variant, your professional cells tear into that virus and cut it into pieces, present them again, and lo and behold, most of the pieces that you have already seen and recognized, are still there in the variants.

“There is absolutely no chance that all of them will fail to be recognized and that is what is required for immune escape, to escape your immunity. It must present to you as a new pathogen. It must be sufficiently different that, when it is cut up by your professional checker cells, it won’t find mostly the same thing it has seen before. And that is just absurdly impossible when you have only varied .3%, so it is 99.7% (similar).

“You can go and check that by looking at papers by a person called Alison Tarke. There is also Shane Crotty, and all of the other co-authors.

“And before them, coming from my theoretical understanding of multi-locus immunity, which is what I just badly tried to describe, to what actually happens … If your [immune system] is presented with something that contains even half of those similar pieces, there is no way your body will say, ‘that’s a new pathogen.

I am so sorry to learn the Japanese government has also fallen for the COVID related lies and half-lies. They should have at least chosen the Russian Sputnik V shot instead of Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZenica, J&J, or Novavax. Two well qualified licensed professionals I get info from have said Sputnik V is by far the best tolerated of the above listed shots, and my own home made investigations confirm this. Personally, I suspect the Indian Covaxin is safer than the others I listed, though not as safe and effective as Sputnik V.

Well, Japan will soon be rid of those of its elderly who fall for the scam. My friend, a Japanese national living legally in the USA, has an elderly mother in Japan who is 99% certain to fall for it and also a disabled brother who well may be shot up in his sheltered workplace w/o being capable of giving any semblance of informed consent. Hopefully, as the vaccinated elderly and health workers die or are disabled from the shots, the government will be smarter than the Americans, Europeans and Israelis, and stop the carnage before too many younger people are destroyed like is happening here in the USA. The only bright signs I see is that housing shortages should decrease, high prices should also decrease as supply exceeds demand and some qualified unemployed may find jobs.

What is doubly sad, is that most people already had either IgM, IgG or T memory cell based immunity to the SARS2 virus. Most of the ones who died would have inevitably died soon from their other ailments. Most of the dead without the famed comorbidities had combinations of undetected immune suppressive exposures like mold toxins and animal retroviruses that made them extra vulnerable to infections of any kind.

The distribution of these vaccines in the USA at any rate, is really illegal, because here they are done under Emergency Use Authorization, which can only be activated in an emergency where there are no other treatments or preventions. And at this point, there are plenty of the double blind randomized case controlled blah blah type of studies any allopathic institution normally demands, that show the effectiveness of HCQ+Zinc+antibiotic, or Ivermectin or IV vitamin C or vitamin D etc. for prevention, early treatment and even late treatment (Ivermectin and IVC coupled possibly with low dose, short term corticosteroids). The American EUAs should be withdrawn, as should similar legalities worldwide.

I have one question though. In the USA the vaccine makers have zero legal liability for the damage any of their products cause. Surely, this does not extend to countries outside the USA.........I hope?