Nationwide bookings eyed for mass vaccination sites in Tokyo, Osaka

You must admire the consistent stupidity. The SoE installed so people do not travel between prefecture and then ask everyone to travel to 2 locations for vaccinations rather than localize the vaccination as much as possible. Myst ask Kono as soon as he submerges again

"Vaccinations are a decisive measure against infectious diseases," he said

Are you serious ? Where have you been since December ?

Hare-brained is an insult to rabbits.

"Go to" campaign revived for the vaccines?

From the beginning it was clear having only a couple of big vaccination sites instead of a proper logistic effort is a bad idea, because it makes people crowd in them instead of going to a smaller, closer and easier site to receive their vaccines. Now they want to make it worse by making people actually travel to them from much farther away?

Right... like someone from Okinawa is going to travel to Tokyo, not once, but twice, for the vaccination?

Just another propaganda ploy to make it look like something is being done!

Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in the world, yet they cannot get people through the doors. Has anyone looked into why that is , or would that mean too many meetings?

Great stuff. Encourage people to travel long distances in the middle of a pandemic.

Hare-brained is an insult to rabbits.

And to anyone with brains.

About 4 percent of Japan's population of 125 million had been fully vaccinated as of Wednesday.

Wow, steady on. At this rate, we'll get most people vaccinated in less than a decade.

A mass vaccination centre was a strange and silly idea.

Now make it even sillier by saying people from far away can now use them.

I know the elite that run things have cars and drivers but like my children's mid 90s grandparents most elderly I know over 70 or 80 are not big on leaving their local area

Phil

Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in the world, yet they cannot get people through the doors. Has anyone looked into why that is , or would that mean too many meetings?

a) Because only the 65+ folks are allowed to go there as of now, but for many elderly it's too hard to travel from their neighbourhoods to these mass vaccination centres: just think of the endless stairs, corridors, etc. in Tokyo public transport system, the time it takes, the current heat... etc, etc.

b) Because the ones who would be ready, willing and able to go to these centres, don't have the damn vaccination coupons yet, which you would need to be able to book a slot there. I'd go, right away, as would my high risk spouse, but we haven't had a sight of any coupons yet.

These mass vaccination sites are great only for the ones who have no problems with their health and physique. Not for the elderly.

I have said this before.

My local doctor is the place most I'm my neighbourhood go to get their flu shot every year.

He also still does home visits.

He has hundreds of patients most of whom rarely leave the area or go at most a few stations over.

He also cares for around 200 patients with no or low mobility going to their homes to treat the and to give them their flu shots.

These people are not going to travel to a mass vaccination centre even if they could.

Those that are more or less restricted to home due to mobility issues can't even get to a more local vaccination place.

The way it should have been done was let local doctors vaccinate their regular patients, by now we would be seeing far higher numbers of people vaccinated.

Here in Okinawa, they just "opened" two supposed "mass-vaccination" sites, one at the convention center, and the other at the Budokan.

Here's the problem as I see it, these sites are open for anyone over the age of 65, to receive their shots, after they apply by telephone or online first.

But it's like "what the smell" kind of moment here.

Each municipality is supposed to be handling the shots locally, and the prefecture is supposed to be distributing the vaccine to the municipalities. Yet if they are opening "mass" sites, and diverting the vaccines to the mass sites, what are the municipalities supposed to use to inject their people?

Public transportation to both sites is poor at best, especially for the elderly, and yet they are expecting them to come to them?????

It's beyond head scratching!

Another of those Words Fail Me moments.

State of Emergency means stay close to home, don't travel across prefectural borders, avoid crowded, enclosed spaces....

...unless you're going for your vaccination, in which case you should travel across country, which for most people means crowded public transport, to line up at a mass vaccination centre. Not to mention the cost of travel for folk on a pension.

My local council set up a communal vaccination programme, which it is impossible to get onto cos all the slots are taken within five minutes - my friend has been told to try again next month. At the same time they have also distributed the vaccine to a number of local private hospitals and clinics, at one of which Mr cleo is a regular; we were able to get in first try. Second jab is scheduled for tomorrow.

Meanwhile in Tokyo 95-year-old MiL, not mobile enough to get to the mass centre, won't get her first jab until sometime in July.

Forget these mass gathering centres. Let the small local clinics handle the vaccinations, they appear to be much better at it.

So, traveling hundred of kms just to get the shot.

They will just be waiting in their prefectures

is considering allowing

Anyway, the gvt is still thinking. It has not been decided.

garypen:

In my city, they do have a long list of local doctors authorized to give the vaccine. Unfortunately, they only allotted a small amount of the vaccine to them. So, the waiting lists are long for those who choose to get it that way.

I just looked at the website of one of my local hospitals which is accepting reservations (by phone only?) by people with the coupons. I was stunned when I saw that they are only allocating ONE HOUR per day for vaccinations!!! This is not a small village hospital or clinic.

You expect people to travel across country twice to get vaccinated. How can the elderly and vulnerable manage this? This will just spread the virus, what happened to staying local? The vaccines should be taken to those who need them, not expect them trek to other parts of the country. This is one of the most stupid plans I have heard.

The way it should have been done was let local doctors vaccinate their regular patients, by now we would be seeing far higher numbers of people vaccinated.

In my city, they do have a long list of local doctors authorized to give the vaccine. Unfortunately, they only allotted a small amount of the vaccine to them. So, the waiting lists are long for those who choose to get it that way.

if the so called mass vaccination sites are already running at full capacity and completely unable to handle even the demand from the local people, why in the world would you want to open them to others. The sites are only supposed to be open for a few months anyway. (Why they would shut them down before everyone is vaccinated is beyond me. But then again I have been flabbergasted for months at the way this vaccine rollout has been run.)

Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in the world, yet they cannot get people through the doors. Has anyone looked into why that is , or would that mean too many meetings?

Well my 85 year old neighbour, doesn't drive, he shops, gets his yearly flu shot, eats, goes out drinking pretty much exclusively within walking distance from his home, my children's grandparents basically are the same, as are most elderly over a certain age, those between 65 and 70 usually have work either an after retirement job or are not retired yet, so they are not willing or capable to take a day off.

I think having a mass vaccination site in every prefecture seems sensible.

If someone used thing called logic they would allow general population to use empty slots. This way efficiency is quite low and vaccines are being wasted because after the dilution they must be used immediately.

For the societal and public health level, what matters is quantity. The more inoculated people get, the more likely protected even non-vaccinated neighbors around and the whole community get.

Abrupt cancellation cases have appeared. Yet the rollout shouldn't be stopped to wait for target/priority groups to come over. "First-comes first-served" rule should be applied for anyone willing to take a jab.

Time to involve 7-11, Lawson, et al. Make vaccination locations convenient. Those companies understand JIT logistics. Train staff to administer shots... and keep paramedics on call in the area in case of rare side effects.

Near my house in Tokyo there is a large parking lot with dozens of mobile clinics and buses.

The managing director of this company is an old drinking buddy of mine.

He told me because of covid they have no work doing the normal company and care home services.

He said they offered the ward to take their clinics and buses to care homes and parks to vaccinate at the old ¥2070 per shot and they were told their services were not needed.

None of the care home they service have yet to get a single Vaccine.

Before opening up the mass vaccination centres to outside Tokyo first give these companies Vaccine and let them do what they do best. They have the experience doing yearly influenza vaccination.

This is WAY beyond CRIMINAL, making ANYONE, let alone the elderly travel country wide for a frigging NEEDLE.......

Get the damned vaccines distributed to LOCAL CLINICS you stupid IDIOTS!!!!

"" but many slots have been left vacant even though the government is trying to accelerate the country's inoculation drive.""

Sure, after months and months of shedding doubt on the vaccines, people are terrified to get vaccinated.

@cleo

At this point I am burnt out.

Trying to keep the mid 90s grandparents safe as 2 years ago the grandfather got pneumonia, they are rightfully weary of going out where people are and I have to do the groceries for them to keep contact at a minimum.

It took a visit and a serious fight between my daughter and I and the city staff to even get the appointment we now have for them in mid July.

I am frustrated now more than ever if our regular doctor the one that gives us all our flu shots had the vaccine they would have been vaccinated by now.

In my city, they do have a long list of local doctors authorized to give the vaccine. Unfortunately, they only allotted a small amount of the vaccine to them. So, the waiting lists are long for those who choose to get it that way.

This is what happens when a centralized government distributes the vaccinations, in allotments to the prefectures, who then decide, how to equally distribute to all the municipalities within the prefecture.

virusrex hit the nail on the head long before I could, but that was my immediate reaction to this daft idea.

@John Kennedy

"if the so called mass vaccination sites are already running at full capacity and completely unable to handle even the demand from the local people, why in the world would you want to open them to others. "

The "mass" sites are not fully booked throughout the day, every day. For this reason rumination is happening somewhere in the Ministry of Health.

Are they for real? Does not make any sense that the elderly outside Tokyo will travel twice for just a shot a bit centre. Already the trains are full. Another joke from the indecisive JP government. But will keep all the foreigners out.....except for the Olympic games.

TV says that vaccination in Japan is 12%, but online data says 4%

What's up with the numbers?

What's up with the numbers?

that's our dialy question here :)

TV says that vaccination in Japan is 12%, but online data says 4%

What's up with the numbers?

About 15,220,000 or roughly 12% have so far received at least one shot. Around 5,160,000 (or 4%) have also received the second doses. So the number presented on TV includes everyone that got at least one shot while the 4% you found online only talks about those that are fully vaccinated. Which leaves about 10,060,000 that have only received one of the two shots.

This booking/reservation system is sooo slow and stupid.

Just open the centers and vaccinate everyone that comer, make a copy of their ID and/or my number for documentation.

The current process is rediculously pathetic.

I'm going to give this advice to the govt.

Build mass vaccination sites in each prefecture.

You're welcome. This one's on me.

I have been seeing less and less fear mongers...

Do you mean anti-vaxxers? Not sure what your point is. People on this article page are discussing whether having 2 public vaccination centres for an island with a population of 127 odd million is a bright idea or not. What relation would talk about fear bring to the discussion, hmm?

"at two state-run mass inoculation centers"

If Japan's public health system were state-owned, "state-run mass inoculation centers" would be in every small community throughout the country, as opposed to just 2 in Tokyo and Osaka. And we would have all been vaccinated by now. Time to reform the system, folks!

And it's not a "mass" program, when only a select minority are eligible.

Let's see how this one turns out, many probably will cross prefectures to come. Having vaccinations early is so important some foreigners are even going back to their home countries just for it

I was talking with my sister, a pharmacist in the US, and she said if I could get over there, she would be happy to jab me. Appreciate the offer, but there are numerous reasons I can't take her up on that. I would be happy to travel to Tokyo twice to get jabbed, but I haven't been offered the chance.

I saw on Mezamashi Terebi this morning that the government is "considering" (there's that word again) prioritizing those aged 12 to 39, completely skipping my generation. On the one hand, I will be happy when my two children living in the Kanto area can get vaccinated ASAP, but since there seems to be so much bumbling with "prioritizations" that I say skip them. There seem to be many that don't want it, so take them off the list. Open it up to all.

All this should have been done a long time ago if it wasn't for the slow moving bureaucracy!

There is a good article about the subject: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japan-olympics-pandemic-vaccines/2021/06/10/97bdbbda-c84f-11eb-8708-64991f2acf28_story.html

@OlympicSupport

I have been seeing less and less fear mongers...

Sorry for you it was because, it was not their time. They are back let enjoy a new set of :

people are driven to the edge pf boredom because they can not see full face,

violence will increase because of the closing of coffee shop,

people will fall to the bottom of depression if they can not see youngsters running around in circle,

I have been seeing less and less fear mongers...