Japanese gov't urges COVID shots for seniors

 Those aged 65 years or older and others at risk, however, are eligible for shots at a reduced fee.

How much is it reduced? Initially the cost was supposed to be over ￥15000 per dose, and with copay in some places, down to ￥7,000, which is STILL way too much for a seasonal shot!

The percentage of serious adverse events is also higher than with the seasonal influenza vaccine, which helps drive reluctance to get the shot.

My friend of 74 years old had received four (4) covid vaccinations and was proud of it.

Last April he got covid, hospitalized, released and was receiving medication at home. One month later he died.

I read a lot against covid vaccines on line.

I've lost my confidence in those vaccines.

It’s to expensive. It should be free. They will give free cancer and so many treatments for free but they won’t for a vaccine? Sad indeed.

When the health ministry says something and the rest of the government opposes it you know that the priority is not the public health, it happens with COVID vaccines, with tobacco and with alcohol.

I must confess I am surprised to find an article about vaccines in this site that is not plagued by antivaxx comments, good to see the community of this site has improved so much.

It’s to expensive. It should be free.

By free you mean someone else should pay for it, tax payers perhaps?

This should have been the policy from day one - if COVID vaccines were necessary at all, they should’ve been reserved for the elderly and high-risk individuals, not pushed on the entire population, and certainly not on children. The fact that governments worldwide rushed to mandate or strongly coerce these vaccines on everyone, including the young and healthy, defies common sense and is a clear example of misplaced priorities.

Kids for example were at zero risk from COVID, yet we saw relentless pressure to vaccinate them, while legitimate concerns about side effects are brushed aside. Now, with data showing what it does, it’s time for a reality check: if protecting the vulnerable was the real goal, then focusing only on seniors from the start would’ve made much more sense.

Instead, they've done nothing but expose millions of healthy people to an experimental product for, other than financial, little to no gain... and to enormous risk.

Should be free for people over 65 or those with health-related problems. Don't quite understand why it was before but not now. The latest shot (based on variant KP.2 ) doesn't quite match the majority Covid variants around now which have evolved from KP.3, so will provide limited protection. Unfortunately, Covid is mutating faster than they can update the vaccine to get the best fit.

When I received my flu vaccination the other day, I asked my doctor if another Covid-19 vaccination was really necessary. He recommends it for people over 80. Nobody had applied yet. By the way, it costs ￥3,000 for people over 65 here in Kobe.

By free you mean someone else should pay for it, tax payers perhaps?

I think over-65s have probably paid enough tax during their lives to get it for free.

From Oct 28th to Nov 3rd the average number of patients in hospital with Covid in Japan was 1.57, down 0.12 from the previous week. This is the lowest number in a while though the numbers seem to peak and trough regularly. Source: Mainichi Shimbun and press releases by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Cost: I’ve seen Y2500 (Itabashi-ku, Tokyo), Y3000 (Yokohama), and Y3200 (Saitama) for those eligible, i.e., individuals aged 65 and above, and people aged between 60 and 64 with an underlying disease.

This should have been the policy from day one - if COVID vaccines were necessary at all, they should’ve been reserved for the elderly and high-risk individuals, not pushed on the entire population, and certainly not on children. 

This makes no sense, the vaccines help reducing very importantly the risk for everybody for whom they are indicated, just because you don't like them that does not make it good to risk the health and even lives of the people based only on these mistaken ideas. In the US covid even became the first cause of death for children before vaccines were available to reduce this risk. Disregarding these deaths as not important just because you want to believe differently is not something acceptable.

Anybody for whom the vaccines are indicated have much lower risk thanks to them, when they were approved they were no longer experimental and the data from billions of people proved how big of an advantage the vaccines represented. Unfortunately they become a victim of their own success, and governments are now routinely opting for letting people assume higher risks without vaccination for purely economic reasons.

Covid vaccinations are still free in Australia, and recommended every 6 months. I take them as soon as they are available to take.

People are still dying of covid every week here, but we no longer get the reports.

 I take them as soon as they are available to take.

Good boy.

We are seniors. We took the first two shots but never again. We had no problems and no covid.

This makes no sense, the vaccines help reducing very importantly the risk for everybody for whom they are indicated, just because you don't like them that does not make it good to risk the health and even lives of the people based only on these mistaken ideas. In the US covid even became the first cause of death for children before vaccines were available to reduce this risk. Disregarding these deaths as not important just because you want to believe differently is not something acceptable. 

Anybody for whom the vaccines are indicated have much lower risk thanks to them, when they were approved they were no longer experimental and the data from billions of people proved how big of an advantage the vaccines represented. Unfortunately they become a victim of their own success, and governments are now routinely opting for letting people assume higher risks without vaccination for purely economic reasons.

More noise here. The “every single expert in the entire world” as unbiased authority claims? We know they are financially intertwined with Big Pharma - a multi-billion dollar industry profiting massively from vaccines and protected from liability by governments around the world. The "trusted scientific authorities" have shown time and again they’re anything but neutral, consistently pushing a narrative that serves their bottom line, while downplaying any real concerns people have about these rushed-to-market "vaccines."

The "negotiations" alluded to are discussions that happened behind closed doors, whete the real decisions are guided by corporate interests.

And the "studies?" Paid for and published by the very companies set to profit from the vaccines, pushing pre-approved findings through journals dependent on Big Pharma’s dollars. It’s a clear conflict of interest that any logical person can see. 

We must "trust the experts" because they’re "the ones who know." But if “knowing” is just regurgitating Big Pharma’s PR lines, then no wonder people don't buy it.

Covid vaccinations are still free in Australia, and recommended every 6 months. I take them as soon as they are available to take.

Before moving to Japan last year, I was getting mine in the US (also for free). I was lucky to avoid contracting COVID for a long time, but when I finally did get it in 2022, my symptoms were mild and relatively short-lived, one of the claimed benefits of the vaccines. Here in Japan I'm going to have to shell out for the next one, but i'm a geezer, so at least there will be a discount.

but when I finally did get it in 2022, my symptoms were mild and relatively short-lived, one of the claimed benefits of the vaccines.

The same is true for me and my entire unvaxxed family when we caught Covid, mild and short lived, even for my mom who is in her 90s...

If you don't have any health issues, getting the shot is an unnecessary risk.

Those aged 65 years or older and others at risk, however, are eligible for shots at a reduced fee.

If over 90% of the deaths are senior citizens, just give it to them for free. Make those younger pay the discounted rate if they want one. Covid's much more contagious and prevalent then the flu so lots of seniors are really scared of catching it in my town.

Especially since last May, Japan's government and major media had behaved as if Covid19 ended despite rather increasing Covid19 deaths. Major media avoid reporting over tens thousands mainly social vulnerable Covid19 deaths per year, government is equal to do not appealed caution unlike till 2021.

Conspiracy theory about vaccination also spreading through social media.

Therefore, Japanese society where divert eyes from Covid19 risk is negative to vaccination.

what government downgraded status of Covid19 despite deaths over 10 times more than seasonal influenza in Japan is man-made disaster.

More noise here. The “every single expert in the entire world” as unbiased authority claims?

You still have not brought any example of respected institutions of science that support your claims, none in the whole world, that more than anything anybody else could say proves the consensus is clear even if you personally don't want to accept it.

Unless you can refute the evidence that support the conclusions of the scientific community they are simply much more likely to be correct, and the old excuse of everybody being in a global conspiracy is not an argument, it is not valid for flatearthers nor for creationists when they use it, it is not valid either to make up claims against vaccines.

Studies are made and paid by many kinds of institutions, from governments to universities, with many being completely free from any link with any pharmaceutical company, baselessly claiming this is false without proving it only makes it clear this is just another excuse. The same as when you claimed children were never at risk, even when covid became the first cause of death for them.

If you don't have any health issues, getting the shot is an unnecessary risk.

This is still false, scientific studies have demonstrated anybody for whom the vaccines is indicated is at a much lower risk thanks to it, you keep claiming that vaccinated people at a higher risk, but never provide any evidence to prove it, It is much better to trust the professionals in the field that contradict you, specially because they have evidence to do it.

that the covid vaccines haven't been taken off the market yet is a crime against humanity.

Not at all, because they have been demonstrated to be a huge achievement of medical science, what is really irresponsible is to disseminate falsehoods about them trying to mislead people to avoid them just because of irrational beliefs. It is highly irresponsible to do that.

magining some conspiracy do raise red flags, but more about people that when finding arguments against which they can't do anything about their immediate reaction is to assume someone must be paying people to contradict their beliefs, and worse to express this imaginary thing as if it was fact, even when it is clearly against the rules of the si

If your not paid just say I am not paid and I'll stop

Well documented, covid hit the senior elderly population hard. In the densely populated areas. and densely populated care homes. I reckon no size fits all. I did 4-5 shots? no covid even tho' one lung has been compromised for decades, Younger n'bour family, addictive socialisers all came down no vax and recovered

I'm not giving medical advice but if you are under 65 and healthy, a vigorous 20 minute walk 2 times a week will do you more good than another COVID vaccine.

 I reckon no size fits all

That is fine, vaccines do decrease the risk for anybody for whom they are indicated, but if the government thinks this extra risk is not worth the economic investment to protect some population that is apparently justification enough to let people assume those extra risks.

Younger n'bour family, addictive socialisers all came down no vax and recovered

Yet scientific evidence clearly proves that being vaccinated not only protects from fatal outcomes but also from long term consequences like long-covid or even worse. It has been proved that infection increases the risk for cardiac problems for years, and that being vaccinated reduces those risks.

I'm not giving medical advice but if you are under 65 and healthy, a vigorous 20 minute walk 2 times a week will do you more good than another COVID vaccine.

That is giving medical advice, and definitely a wrong one, there is no evidence a tiny amount of excercise can replace the benefit from vaccines, specially because there is no need to do one or the other and instead people can do everything that reduces the risk, from isolation measures to healthier lifestyles and of course opportune vaccination and medical treatment.

Proxy,

I'm not giving medical advice but if you are under 65 and healthy, a vigorous 20 minute walk 2 times a week will do you more good than another COVID vaccine.

you're medical advice is ridiculous! I live in Canada, luckily our vaccinations are free. Most people here get a covid shot when they get their flu shot. Covid is here for good like the flu is. So get used to it. Good luck trying to walk away from covid and the flu.

you're medical advice is ridiculous! I live in Canada, luckily our vaccinations are free.

How much do you pay in taxes?

Virusrex

Extra risks, lol

BTW Covid has never been the highest cause of death in children even at the height of the pandemic with more lethal variants and no vaccines available.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: “If you’re vaccinated, you’re not going to be hospitalized, you’re not going to be in the IC unit, and you’re not going to die - July 21st 2021

Extra risks, lol

You can laugh all you want, that does not make the full medical community of the world wrong when they prove not vaccinating comes with much higher risks for everybody for whom the vaccines are indicated.

BTW Covid has never been the highest cause of death in children even at the height of the pandemic with more lethal variants and no vaccines available.

Between infectious diseases? of course yes, by a wide margin.

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2023-01-31-covid-19-leading-cause-death-children-and-young-people-us

I know you want to ignore literally thousands of deaths as unimportant, but for their families and doctors they surely are something to think about

https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-survival/covid-19/

Among the 4.4 million COVID-19 deaths1 reported in the MPIDR COVerAGE database, 0.4 per cent (over 17,400) occurred in children and adolescents under 20 years of age. 

And this is only about deaths, on top of this are serious, long lasting or even permanent consequences of the infection, coagulopathies, autoimmune problems, neurological development problems, all those things you so easily ignore as uninportant.

Covid vaccinations are still free in Australia, and recommended every 6 months. I take them as soon as they are available to take.

They are definitely not "free". Just because you dont pay upfront to get the shot, does not mean that some manufacturer gave them to you out of the good of their heart!

You paid, by your taxes, and probably "paid" a hell of a lot more than you should, because of all the middle men and women, who have their finger in the pie!

I reckon anything science / medicine related, and especially if it's about Covid, is always going to come second only to political threads in terms of bringing the kooks out to play.

When you thought the jab experiment was over, then this. A further booster for Big Pharma.

When you thought the jab experiment was over, then this. A further booster for Big Pharma.

The vaccines were not experimental from the moment they were approved to be used in the general population, and if you read the article it is clear the vaccination is not being urged by any company but by the Ministry of Health, medical professionals are the ones most interested in immunizing the population, meanwhile pharmaceutical companies profit much more for each hospitalization so for them vaccines are the contrary to a booster.

narrative no changes at all.

why we never read how many vaccinated people have died?

why we never read how many vaccinated people have died?

because it shakes these propagandists to their core

why we never read how many vaccinated people have died?

Because it appears to be an extremely tiny number.

Have any peer-reviewed medical articles you’d like to share?

why we never read how many vaccinated people have died?

Because vaccines are not supposed to make people immortal? the important part is how much less the people die from the disease being prevented, which is a very important benefit.

because it shakes these propagandists to their core

Pretending the whole medical community of the world is just repeating propaganda without even making an argument for it is just an excuse, being in denial of the consensus do not make it false nor propaganda.

show me evidence about these "extremely tiny numbers" as I have never seen single line here at JT for years...

Wait, so your argument is that this is not a peer reviewed journal? because those are the primary sources of scientific information that have the information you are saying is not available. Avoiding the sources when you don't like the conclusions don't make the sources actually disappear, when something is exactly as expected there is not exactly something news-worthy to report on a newspaper.