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© KYODOGov't reopens mass vaccination center in Tokyo for COVID booster shots
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© KYODO
46 Comments
Kev James
So let me get this right, Kishida is urging people to be speedy about getting their 3rd shot whilst only ensuring 3,120 shots a day are provided at two centres. Can he care to elaborate on how that works???
snowymountainhell
Gov’t reopens’ after, as some pointed out with yesterday’s ‘daily numbers’, a perhaps unnecessary ‘ceremony’ to mark the event. We’re in the tird year of this. Cut back on all the formalities, Japan and just focused on getting the job done quickly & efficiently.
Rob
@snowy
lol, when it comes to the pandemic response those two words aren't in the JGov vocabulary. In fact, it's almost as if they try ro do the exact opposite.
Blacklabel
so one place the government can’t fix an elevator and the other place the government can’t get a bigger building?
Lindsay
They just don’t seem to get it. Having a mass vaccination center is a mass infection center. Vaccination centers should be smaller satellite centers set up everywhere to avoid large crowds and extended travel.
Japan’s response to covid is a box ticking exercise will very little success.
Antiquesaving
It makes no difference if as like last time our ward takes forever to send out the stupid voucher.
Our ward has just sent out as of Friday 70 years old and up.
The ward has no plans or contingency for those considered high risk ( I am now in the high risk due to my recent heart attack)y cardiologist called the ward and was told it will be strictly by age group, which means I will not get my voucher for at least another month!
As usual the Japanese government system learned nothing from the previous mess and will not change even if it kills people, bureaucracy most prevail at all cost.
bokuda
720 slots a day is called massive(?!) vaccination center.
Cricky
Those who want to receive the shots need to have vaccination tickets issued by local governments and make reservations on the designated website.
That’s going to speed things up, nothing like waiting for a paper ticket after making a reservation on a designated website. Thankfully my rickshaw is a safe way to travel and I can always find parking.
purple_depressed_bacon
This entire sentence is an oxymoron. The mere fact that people have to wait for vaccine tickets and then make appointments already slows the entire process down. There's nothing speedy about how Japan is going about giving people their shots. What's wrong with doing walk-ins?
TokyoJoe
A cocktail, mixing and matching vaccines, this should be interesting. Perhaps that's where the 5 double vaxed people I know who all go covid recently went wrong, they didn't mix and match their vaccines!.
WilliB
So disheartening to see ignorance like this. Yes sure, he should get his 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and nth booster if he wants, but this has nothing to do with speading the virus. He can get infected and infect others just like anyone else. The "booster" is only supposed to provide a better result for him personally.
virusrex
Being vaccinated reduce the spreading of the infection importantly, there is nothing that would indicate ignorance in just repeating this well documented effect, the opposite would be much more adequately qualified as ignorance, because it is based on a false dichotomy where something that is not 100% effective automatically becomes 0% effective, which is obviously invalid.
TokyoJoe
It's not ignorance, he was mislead into believing this, some commenters on here still parrot this even though the narrative has now changed and they are not up to date.
Antiquesaving
Actually both Quebec and BC did mix vaccine in some individuals using mRNA (Pfizer, Moderns) and conventional vaccine (AZ J&J).
Preliminary results in follow-up seems to show that these people have a higher immune response and protection.
So I wouldn't say no to a booster from J&J or AZ if offered faster.
vaxatharian
Quite possibly they do. I've been wondering the same thing.
It's not outside the realm of possibility that the JGov has been playing tatemae with this whole affair, pledging this and urging that to keep various parties and home and overseas thinking that they see COVID as a major threat, all the while not pushing nearly as hard on jabs and lockdowns (to the extent they could legally do so) as they probably could, especially when compared to most of the developed world. Everything is basically still voluntary here. And am I glad this is the case.
While seeming to dither, probably due to cultural reasons, the Japanese aren't stupid and decent data analysts would be able to see that the data issued overseas and what they're seeing here in Japan don't match up. So they're hesitant to rush into extreme measures when the evidence doesn't warrant it. They tacitly allow IVM as a treatment, but don't openly promote it, probably to avoid upsetting the US government and possible their vaccine suppliers - it wouldn't surprise me if a condition of their supply contracts with Pfizer and Moderna contained a clause that supply would not be guaranteed if the JGov promoted IVM and other treatments.
So while NHK and the rest of the media juggernaut bang the fear and vaccination drum at every opportunity, the national government itself seems pretty half-hearted about the booster rollout. They probably know the delay is saving lives and future health, especially among the kids, but can't admit it publicly.
WilliB
virusrex
...does not, no matter how often you repeat that talking point.
vaxatharian
Well, the media almost never publishes comments from people who express hesitance about getting a jab unless it's to smear them as an anti-vaxxer. And they invariably play down breakthrough cases and omit or distort crucial contextual information about people who passed away, such as age, vax status, comorbidities and the like. What's more, as far as the media is concerned, adverse reactions simply don't exist.
There's been a subtle shift in reporting recently: they used to play up how many unvaccinated people were hospitalised due to COVID, but now that's often completely left out because most if not all seriously ill or deceased people have been vaccinated.
Blacklabel
You either CAN still get and transmit the virus after vaccination or you CANNOT. Playing with percentages is irrelevant. There is no one spreading 43% Covid.
hint of the answer: you still can, even as a vaccinated person, get and transmit COVID.
reason this is bad: anecdotes of people with positive COVID test using their vaccine passport to enter events anyway.
Blacklabel
Breakthrough cases so common they don’t even need a separate name.
just another person who caught Covid, no reason for surprise, acting like vaccinated people don’t catch it too.
Mr Kipling
About 3 months too late. Should be doing health and welfare workers first followed by the old and others at risk then the rest who want it...
What is the reason for the delay? They have the facilities, they have the staff and they have the vaccines.
Raw Beer
Many continue to spread the false narrative that vaccination reduces the spread of infection (for SARS-CoV2).
It has been proven scientifically to be a false narrative:
-- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8481107/
"Increases in COVID-19 are unrelated to levels of vaccination across 68 countries and 2947 counties in the United States (Eur J Epidemiol. 2021 Sep 30 : 1–4).
Findings: "At the country-level, there appears to be no discernable relationship between percentage of population fully vaccinated and new COVID-19 cases in the last 7 days (Fig. 1). In fact, the trend line suggests a marginally positive association such that countries with higher percentage of population fully vaccinated have higher COVID-19 cases per 1 million people...."
And that was before Omicron; now the vaccines are even more useless in reducing the spread. Vaccinations only provide a few months of reduced symptoms, so they should only be used by the vulnerable.
vaxatharian
virusrex, repeating the same thing ad nauseam doesn't make it true: omicron keeps proving you wrong.
Perhaps you subscribe to the teachings of 1990s philosopher George Costanza, who wisely proffered that "It's not a lie if you believe it."
anon99999
Thats great except the key point is out doesn't matter how many centers the PM opens you can only go when your get your vaccine tickets and they are simply not being sent out till after 6/7/8 months from your second shot depending on your prefecture. Thus it is just another pretend show he is doing something as it won't change the fact that many people will not get their for a few more months yet when the current wave has already finished. personally I am already at 7 months and no ticket
WilliB
vaxatharian
Yes, and then there are these games with the definition of "unvaccinated". The CDC defines everybody as "unvaccinated" for 2 weeks after getting the shot, which means any direct vaccine-damages are recorded as "unvaccinated". And at least the Swedish authorities have admitted that if there are 3 or fewer patients are in an ICU, they are all reported as "unvaccinated" (supposed for privacy reasons), which makes a huge difference in countries with small hospitals. One wonders how many more number games like that are being played.
John Noun
People in charge would need to be able to use a computer for data to be analysed.
vaxatharian
Yep, we have to be on our toes to follow all the definition changes that fuel the narrative. These people have behavioural psychologists working for them to not only shape and direct the narrative, but also to stir up confusion so it's hard to sort fact from fiction and perpetuate the sense of angst. But as more people are figuring it out, they have to ramp it ups notch every time, making it less believable as they get more desperate.
Things are going to get really interesting once a critical mass of skeptics is reached.
Lindsay
Here in Australia many pharmacies are giving booster shots. Japan is still stuck in the dark ages old men making decisions that need 27 little red stamps before it can go ahead. The ward offices are nothing short of a joke. They are right onto you when you owe them money, but good luck getting anything from them in a hurry.
vaxatharian
I get what you mean, and it can be hard to believe, but some Japanese government offices are armed with more than an abacus, box of hankos and a fax machine :-)
Mark
We have been here before last year about the same time when the government was dragging it's feet and now the same thing is happening again, it seem as if they learned NOTHING .
Antiquesaving
WilliBToday 06:14 pm JST
virusrex
As it has been pointed out many, many, many times by just about everyone that has a basic capability to read.
The vaccine does not stop one from getting infected. It does reduce the chances by a very big margin, it reduces the severity, reduces the viral load and by that simple fact it reduces the spread.
The most basic medical and scientific facts a child in jr high could comprehend.
snowymountainhell
Did we read this right?? “Reopens a mass vaccination center” now capable on only handling 7.2% of the traffic per day it handled 6 months ago ?
snowymountainhell
Can’t the non-physically challenged persons use the stairs? (Or, is this another Japanese facility without adequate fire & emergency evacuation exits?)
itsonlyrocknroll
Yes give the vaccination center a go.
daito_hak
No it does not. This is fallacy, fake news, We have real data now. Israel is the first country which has largely vaccinated its population with a third dose. But the positive cases have never been that high there as they are now. The same can be said for several countries in Europe. Look at the data instead of making up things with the imagination of someone who has no expertise to talk about science.
If we look more closely at some data we can have an idea of what can be said about vaccination with a minimum of rigor instead of throwing BS all around. For a report from the UK Health Security Agency, we know that after two doses the effectiveness for symptomatic disease was 9% and 13% for BA.1 and BA.2 respectively (the two omicron lineage). After a third dose, this was 63% and 70%, again for BA.1 and BA.2 respectively. Seems good, the effectiveness for symptomatic disease does largely improve with a third dose (but not for long since data have shown that the present vaccines are not immunizing agents).
But again this is for symptomatic disease, not against transmission (and protection against severe complications is another subject since the two doses were still reasonably effective). And even so, the real question is: should we mass vaccinate the population for it not having a little fever, running nose and sore throat? The answer is obviously no we should not. This is unreasonable if not crazy. It makes not sense whatsoever to mass vaccinate the population with a vaccine that does not stop transmission. Moreover so that those vaccines are not given free, a very large amount of public money is used to buy them. The vaccination should at this point, and this should actually have been the case since the vaccines were made available, concentrate on the vulnerable population, ie. the old population, people with comorbidities and immunocompromised people. The rest of the population can be infected without any notable issues, precisely also because natural immunity is better than vaccination (I have already posted numerous studies showing that).
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1050999/Technical-Briefing-35-28January2022.pdf
smithinjapan
daito: "And even so, the real question is: should we mass vaccinate the population for it not having a little fever, running nose and sore throat? The answer is obviously no we should not."
Actually, you knew the answer is yes, and hence the very quick retort to your own question -- you didn't leave it open at all. If not for the nimrods who refused vaccination to begin with, there would not be near 1,000,000 deaths in the US alone, and there would not be an Omicron variant, or whatever the next will be thanks to letting it run rampant, when vaccines would have been able to stop previous variants. But nope, listen to the anti-vax nutters and let Delta mutate. And now the death rate is going UP again in the US following the plateau in infections (with the peak having passed being questionable). You admit yourself symptoms are less severe with those who have been vaccinated, and also state the vulnerable should get the shots (why... for a runny nose??), and for good reason. Vaccination should become mandatory, same as other vaccinations against disease are. Or, how about we those who have caught the virus and show severe symptoms and need hospitalization be denied based on refusal to be vaxxed? Seems a fair compromise. Why should someone who tried to prevent it be denied, especially if it is for something non-related to corona, for the sake of morons who insisted it is just a runny nose and sore throat?
Cricky
Why can’t you make a booking on a designated site, get a time, date. Show up with ID. And just get the shot. What’s with the Willy worker ticket that they throw into the trash anyway.
David Van Cleef
Blame your local government only, many cities and wards have already sent them out. I (55) got my ticket 2 weeks ago and have my booster jab appointment tomorrow.
Minato-ku sent them out in December even.
And there is no X-and-older: booster tickets are being sent out purely based on the date of your second jab, not your age.
WilliB
smithinjapan
Wrong, wrong, and wrong. You really should look at the data instead of repeaing corporate media talking points. They simply do not support the narrative (which is gradually being revised anway.)
as_the_crow_flies
Why can’t you make a booking on a designated site, get a time, date. Show up with ID. And just get the shot. What’s with the Willy worker ticket that they throw into the trash anyway?
It's all about control, Cricky. I'm sure you've been here long enough to live it in so many other ways. The bureaucracy here is so used to controlling every stupid little process, they can't give up their annual [!] retentive ways, even when public health depends on it.
WilliB
daito_hak
Gibraltar is an even even better case. They are 100% (yep hundred percent) vaccinated, and Omicron is running rampant on the rock.
About Israel, you can compare Israel proper (about 80% vaxxed, w/o looking it up with the West Bank (about 17% vaxxed) and see the difference.... which does not exist.
But hey, never let facts get in the way of the corporate media bubble narrative...