Japan to draw up guidelines on how to transport COVID vaccines

Hiroshi13

I did say eligible expat U.S. citizens... ;-)

@USNinJapan2

Thanks for the clarification.

"Retired military expats" is a key distinction from your original statement of "expat U.S. citizens" which implies just being an American citizen (living in Japan) somehow makes a person eligible for a DoD-supplied COVID vaccine.

That’s calculated exactly one ultra-cold freezer per study participant. But I can’t predict at all if the vaccine is sufficient and if really vaccine is in the bottles. lol

Probably they'l consult Dentsu again, who will establish another expensive task force, and use Yamato and Sagawa for delivery - they have coolers in the vans and trucks, don't they?

@pepelepew - spot on!

This headline should have been written in December, not February 9th.

What on earth have these hand-wringing bureaucrats been doing all this time?!! They couldn't organise a p-up in a brewery if they tried!

Thank you for your response and clarifications. @USNinJapan2 11:21a and 5pm JST

“At this rate, ....and (possibly)moving on to vaccinating eligible expat U.S. citizens before the GOJ has vaccinated any of their citizens.”

Hiroshi13

It's not on the schema. Some of our bases have received queries about vaccination from retired military expats who live in their areas so we are keeping them in mind as possible recipients after we've completed vaccinating our SOFA population AND there are a significant number of doses left over. They're not eligible under the DoD schema but since these retirees have access to our bases here it's in our best interest public health-wise to cover them if possible, so they're part of our vax plan, albeit at the bottom of the list.

@USNinJapan2

"...and moved on to vaccinating eligible expat U.S. citizens before the GOJ has vaccinated any of their citizens."

Where are you getting this information about 'eligible expat U.S. citizens'? Could be you're confusing this with authorized DoD civilians?

I've looked at the DoD Population Schema and associated sub tiers for COVID vaccinations and nowhere on there does it mention expat U.S. civilians.

Ridiculous comments on here, as usual.

If you want to know what Japanese people really think, go on Yahoo News and read the comments in Japanese.

You might find that, believe it or not, Japanese people are not quite as stupid as you seem to think.

@USNinJapan2**** “Thank you for your Service” to US & Japan!

re: 11:21a JST

*“..USForces Japan to be done vaccinating all service members, civilian employees, & dependents and move on to vaccinating eligible expat U.S.citizensbefore the GOJ has vaccinated any...**

We’ve been to 3 USF/DoD sites: can’t find that info.

zichi

50,000 vs 127 million. Waiting to see what happens with the 50,000.

We're well on our way already.

I don't know if it's intentional or not, but you seem to always misunderstand what I write.

If they are simply delivering a styrofoam box with dry ice, I think it would be better to have Yamato deliver it in special trucks than a "specialist" in a stationwagon. I often get such packages from those "specialists", they all drive regular stationwagons.

Again, there is nothing "special" that Yamato has that would benefit the delivery in any way, unless you think "cooler" paint somehow would affect the product. The delivery vehicle used by the providers depends a lot of the scale of the package, it is not the same to order one tiny box of competent cells than a full freezer worth of several kinds.

On the other hand procedures and protocols have to be followed for therapeutics in order to fulfill international standards (Good manufacture/laboratory/distribution practices) that the providers are subjected since that is the value of their business, Yamato is just beginning to develop the logistics to fulfill those norms.

So your suggestion means replacing something absolutely necessary for another thing that is irrelevant. That is not useful at all.

@justasking 11:38a JST *There’s a reason Japan is dragging it's feet on something so urgent**...*

JT Jan. 29 “Japan taking cautious approach to COVID-19 vaccination rollout” - “A plan recently surfaced,...

only to be dismissed from the education ministry, ... The health ministry was also critical,... (quote): "It's ridiculous. Who will take responsibility if a problem occurs?"

You’re right! No one wants to be blamed when something goes awry.

@virusrex

I don't know if it's intentional or not, but you seem to always misunderstand what I write.

If they are simply delivering a styrofoam box with dry ice, I think it would be better to have Yamato deliver it in special trucks than a "specialist" in a stationwagon. I often get such packages from those "specialists", they all drive regular stationwagons.

They will probably simply deliver them in a styrofoam box with dry ice. Yamato has special vans/trucks that deliver this type of stuff. The Cahc and other agents I have seen have all been delivering in regular station wagons; no reason to get them involved.

Well, packaging in dry ice is the method recommended by the manufacturer and the one they themselves use, I wonder what kind of other method you had in mind but is not being used.

Also if you think that Yamato has any kind of equipment or vehicles adapted specifically to transport therapeutics at -70 C in compliance with the necessary laws and standards you would be again mistaken. They just began to develop this capacity this month, so they are just a few years behind the specialists.

Really? Is this true? Do you have an ‘official source’ and link? (@Sandy alluded to this being possible.)

*@USNinJapan2 11:21a JST “..USForces Japan to be done vaccinating all service members, civilian employees, & dependents and move on to ***vaccinating eligible expat U.S. citizens* before the GOJ has vaccinated any...*

There's gotta be a reason why Japan is dragging it's feet on something so urgent.

No one wants to be blamed when something goes awry.

The Japanese government will draw up guidelines

Sums up everything they have done in this pandemic. Guidelines.

Sorry, @Hiroshi13: ‘foreign’ media can’t poll citizen’s here. That have to rely on J news sources.

These are ‘pay-to-view’ ‘subscriber’ sites:

https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Japan-s-government-gets-no-credit-for-coronavirus-response

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/05/10/national/57-japanese-discontent-governments-response-coronavirus-outbreak-poll/

But, here’s a **FREE source**:

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/05/e7dfc2b04376-57-discontent-with-govt-response-to-coronavirus-outbreak-poll.html

(Thanks, KYODO !)

At this rate, U.S. Forces Japan is going to be done vaccinating all of our service members, civilian employees, and dependents and moved on to vaccinating eligible expat U.S. citizens before the GOJ has vaccinated any of their citizens.

Pls don’t rush, have some more meetings. After all why would you have done this 6 months ago when it became clear mass vaccination would be needed. It takes time to realise that vaccination needs actual vaccins and they need to be brought from one place to another. Now? Is that clear ? Let’s then now see how we can arrange the transport. Then in about another 3 months let’s meet on how to store them at the place of vaccination and then....

You’d think that a roll out plan would have been a priority the moment that the vaccine was developed and secured. Hmmm.

starting to plan it now...

Point taken, @Hiroshi13. “c*omments (aimed at GOJ's ineptitude) makes me wonder how the average citizen here feels about the COVID response thus far.”*

“57% of Japanese are unhappy with COVID response,...84.4% surveyed feel insecure bout their lives”

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/05/10/national/57-japanese-discontent-governments-response-coronavirus-outbreak-poll/

Info is from 5/10/2020. Sorry, no update to that poll.

@Hiroshi13

I'm a naturalized citizen for more than two decades. My other part of the family is Japanese for generations. Most Japanese people, despite being cool folks, they consume only Japanese media, the major source of all information being TV. In national or local TV, you hear only how the cases are dropping, close ups of sushi in kaitenzushi, generic idol shows and so on. Pretty much no information from abroad like we'd be used to get abroad.

My wife's family thinks the government is doing great and are hard working. Trying to discuss this with them ends with them saying "I don't know too much about that". They don't dispute the fact that the virus numbers here are dropping but the hospitals and staff is more and more overhelmed with work and infection is in fact increasing.

Why not use all the providers that ship routinely reagents and cells to laboratories and hospitals? their business is to deliver things at -80 C and already have the infrastructure and experience to do it. Cahc, Iwai, Biotechlab, Nakalai Tesque, etc. etc.

They will probably simply deliver them in a styrofoam box with dry ice. Yamato has special vans/trucks that deliver this type of stuff. The Cahc and other agents I have seen have all been delivering in regular station wagons; no reason to get them involved.

I know it's stating the obvious that foreigners view things much differently than Japanese people but assuming that most of the comments here (aimed at GOJ's ineptitude) are from non-Japanese makes me wonder how the average citizen here feels about the COVID response thus far.

Great idea! @virusrex 8:36a JST ‘...use all providers that routinely ship reagents to labos & hospitals? Their biz’ is to deliver at -80 C & already have the infrastructure & experience: Cahc, Iwai, Biotechlab, Nakalai Tesque, ...

Of course, ‘it has to be done only J-Inc’. The only one we could distinguish from your list as a J Co. is “Kirk”(Cahc).

Please hurry with your research. “Health Ministry needs to draw up the guidelines,...”

Greta idea! @marcelito. “Ladies & gentlemen, we’ve been diverted for a brief stop in Belgium.”

Seriously get a move on, I can't believe the slow plodding of the government to get vaccines sorted already. What are they waiting for?

“*Before* ANY* practical steps are taken, we MUST ‘have a ‘Cool’ name’** for our “vaccination campaign!*”:

*@TokyoJoe 8:00aJST ‘...still drawing up guidelines, faxing proposals, sucking hanko, ...while other developed countries have vaccinated 10's of millions of people. @rcch 8:17a JST ‘slow as a snail*

*@bo 8:02a JST “So the vaccine passport will be next on the agenda.”*

and, in“Cool Japan”style, it will be waseigo’d into:”Vac-PASS”causing further confusion. (Do u want it, or not?)

There's gotta be a reason why Japan is dragging it's feet on something so urgent.

This headline should have been written in December, not February 9th.

Why not use all the providers that ship routinely reagents and cells to laboratories and hospitals? their business is to deliver things at -80 C and already have the infrastructure and experience to do it. Cahc, Iwai, Biotechlab, Nakalai Tesque, etc. etc.

slow as a snail

So the vaccine passport will be next on the agenda.

We are still at the drawing up guidelines, faxing proposals, sucking teeth and tentatively reaching for the hanko stage while other developed countries have vaccinated 10's of millions of vulnerable people already.

So funny. Well, you all have to admit that it looks like Japan is on the cutting edge of everything. Hand gestures. Signaling. Looking both ways. More hand gestures. But no real work is actually being done.

"We aim to quickly communicate information to local governments, including how to transport and handle (the vaccines),” health minister Norihisa Tamura said ...

Vaccine doses already administered by governments figuring out how to transport and handle the vaccine (as of 7 February):

U.S.: 41,210,937

U.K.: 12,014,288

Japan: 0