Online bookings begin for large vaccination centers in Tokyo, Osaka

Good luck navigating the web site or getting through on the phone.

Population of Kanto is about 43.3 million. At the rates they are talking about it will take (check math) 5.9 years at a daily rate of 20k injections.

Long story short: The infrastructure for providing vaccinations needs a significant boost. I cannot believe that the government had a year to ramp up for this and THIS is the best it can do.

Pathetic. I might have to take a leave of absence from work and go home to get vaccinated in a timely manner.

Problem number one. Old people mostly live in remote villages and are highest risk groups.

klausdorth

Hope that it will not be just words again.

What do you mean "just words"? I got the invitation last week already, if you are in the same age group and in Tokyo, you must have too.

That said, I am not going. No vaccine has ever been approved within one year (neither have these ones, by the way, are are given under "emergency approval"), and there too many reports on bad side effects on both VAERS and and EudraVigilance to be complacent about it. This mRNA thing is not comparable to i.e. a flu shot.

Just for an information...but don't missunderstand me....I am a pro Vaxer and hope to get my vaccine ASAP.

My co-workers wife is a nurse and she got her Pfitzer Vaccine 2nd shot last week here in Tokyo.

She had her first shot a few weeks ago.

After the first shot she went down with a high fever about 38,9 for one day.

But after the second shot she was down again with a fever about 39.5 for 3 days.

3 days she couldn't go to work and she couldn't take care of her daughter.

So my Co-worker also had to take 3 days off to take care of their daughter.

But no other symptoms after the vaccine, just the high fever.

Great to see the vaccination program ramping up.

@ Monty

A (relatively mild) reaction to a vaccine is not in expected.

‘You get a fever because your body is trying to kill the virus or bacteria that caused the infection. Most of those bacteria and viruses do well when your body is at your normal temperature. But if you have a fever, it is harder for them to survive. Fever also activates your body's immune system.’

source:https://medlineplus.gov/fever.html

Just puting it out there for people that think getting a fever is bad when it’s actually a sign that your body is putting up its defenses and fighting back.

The health ministry last Friday notified prefectures it is boosting its efforts to monitor the variant through polymerase chain reaction tests that can detect the L452R mutation it carries.

The PCR tests will be conducted by private firms and some municipalities, with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases analyzing the collected data.

Regarding testing, this is promise number what again ? Lost track, as there have been

so many from city wards, cities, governors, ministers, prime ministers without the promises

kept. Is this another empty promise again ? not holding my breath.

Just got mine today.....at Minato Ku Tamachi. Very organized. Well done and thank you again Japan.

@Japanoob

Yes I know and I agree with you.

I just want to show an example what can happen, and that we all should be ready that we can get similar problems.

I mean 3 days with a high fever about 39.5 is not funny. That is a very hard situation.

Especially for elderly people.

But like I said, I am a Pro Vaxer and I will take the risk of the side effects.

But I want to be mentaly ready, that such things can happen.

@Monty

it's going to depend on the personal reaction. I had my first shot of the Pfizer, no symptoms, even continued to work and forgot about it. There are no active viruses in mRNA shots like Pfizer, it's just a spike protein balloon dog tutorial for the body.

Very likely your co-worker's wife was already immune compromised, from overwork. Nurses are overworked in the West, to what new level that even means in Japan I couldn't imagine. So any energy to fight a faux invader was enough to reflect in the longer recovery period.

This highlights the importance of also taking care of yourself in general. Stress reduces the immune system.

Given the choice of no reaction, or 3 days, or longer, the prevention of mortality from a hospital stay due to COVID is still the best option. But a vaccine can only do so much and shouldn't be used as an excuse for overworking conditions.

My co-workers wife is a nurse and she got her Pfitzer Vaccine 2nd shot last week here in Tokyo.

She had her first shot a few weeks ago.

After the first shot she went down with a high fever about 38,9 for one day.

But after the second shot she was down again with a fever about 39.5 for 3 days.

3 days she couldn't go to work and she couldn't take care of her daughter.

So my Co-worker also had to take 3 days off to take care of their daughter.

But no other symptoms after the vaccine, just the high fever.

I met a maskless foreigner in Starbucks who said he had nothing like this after the jab.

Fascinating.

@sf2k

Yes, you are right.

Every person reacts different to the vaccine.

But anyway, she is fine now and since today back to work, fully vaccinated.

My Co-worker came back to work too today, and he just told me this story because he appologized to be absent for 3 days.

Nurses, Dentists can do the business.

Arm out, etc.

In fact I have 30 health specialists capable to administer an injection and monitor the risk/outcomes

They are not being asked to carry out brain surgery.

This is ridiculous. How is my frail 90 year old MIL, who lives in Hyogo, supposed to get to Osaka? How is making vulnerable people travel to get a vaccine a good idea? How are they supposed get an appointment using this over subscribed and clunky system? Local vaccination centres are essential, as is sending every vulnerable person an appointment.

Every person reacts different to the vaccine.

That's why your demonstration with one person isn't relevant.

Same level as people saying "i know someone who caught corona and he wasn't so sick" ...

Statistics on large scale are to be mentioned not personal experiences

Too bad there wasn't a recently built stadium nearby that can handle thousands of people per hour. That could have come in really handy

That's why your demonstration with one person isn't relevant.

For my coworker and his wife it was very relevant!

All my family (over 65) that had not received there first shot were vaccinated today.

I hired a mini bus and loaded them in.

I had leant they were humming and harring.

The local hospital made the arrangements, kudos.

Too slow! Hurry up, corrupt old geezers in the government, make things actually happen.

If even half of the doctors, nurses, vets and dentists in my small city gave 100 shots a day they would make this Otemachi centre obselete whilst being a lot safer and convenient.

Given that there are probably living around 3 million aged 65 or above in Tokyo, it then takes only 300 days at full capacity.

But as Sir Kono said, don't complain.

Being a good citizen {or trying to be one) I'll say hurray. What an outstanding speed.

A number of aged family members had not responded positively to the correspondence they had received some are in there eighties.

One way or another it is jab time, their grand children would be heart broken if grandma succumbed to this pandemic.

I insisted, or leave the minibus parked outside blocking the road.

Our whole society is based on trust.

We trust that the bus driver isn’t sipping vodka behind the wheel, that the chef washed his hands.

This is a health crisis. We need as many vaccinations performed as quickly as possible. We don’t need all the red tape that Japan usually spectacularly overdoes.

But we can’t trust nurses, dentists, vets and volunteers to give the shot. Crazy.

I have a good feeling about this ! Fingers crossed!

Then you should remain their audience, not us

I can not speak for other people here, (who you mentioned with us), but if you want to close your eyes for things that happens in the real life, just ignore my posts.

For me, the real life is what counts.

Personal experience by myself and from others.

Not some statistics or datas.

If statistical Data shows how safe the vaccine is and that there will be no problems with side effects, and then I see something complete different happens in the real life,...I will never close my eyes from that and I will take these real things in my consideration to take the vaccine.

But that is up to everyone to decide by themselves.

The hospital Nurses and support staff are credit to there profession.

I am a bully, yes

And also, I accept to being accused of cajoling my elderly relatives.

They wont thank me, but I love then to bits

Sputnik V!

I really hope that there will really be an acceleration in vaccinations. As it is embarrassing beyond words for this inept government when Japanese citizens go on Vaccination trips to the USA to get vaccinated!!!

Numbers down but the same doom and gloom. Why not be happy that the measures are paying off? There’s no evidence of the government hiding number of cases or deaths as many here claim.

At last something a little positive in Japan's news. Speed it up, make it easy and streamlined. Cancel superflous sports events and redirect attention and resources,

Jab'em, stab 'em, vaccinate them all.

Could Kono please tell us on a daily basis how many doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines Japan has received and how many doses have been used.

4 numbers, that is all I ask.

@GD Tokyo Pathetic. I might have to take a leave of absence from work and go home to get vaccinated in a timely manner.

Have you checked about getting back in to Japan if you have left?

Gaman , gaman , you turn will come

People must make sure they do not double book. If you get a time in your local city etc., you should not double book at Tokyo or Osaka at those crowded slow venues.

Plus, you cannot mix vaccines for the second jab.

I spent about an hour on the phone 075-950-0808 with an official and a translator this afternoon.

The Kyoto government believes that they can vaccinate more than 400,000 people over 65 in 32 days from May 29 - June 30. 800,000 inoculations in total.

Now that's more than 25,000 people per day, using only doctors and nurses to give the jabs.

Reservations begin on Thursday morning at 8:30 am.

I saw on TV news that the ward office in Ibaraki was swamped with requests. They could only do 120 jabs per day!

Good luck getting a reservation in Kyoto.

Just for an information...but don't missunderstand me....I am a pro Vaxer and hope to get my vaccine ASAP.

If you want to return to your favourite oppai pub any time soon, keep your fear mongering to yourself. A small number of people get a fever, so what, better than more deaths.

If you are traveling around a lot, I am not sure if you can get a vaccine outside your local legal abode, which is absurd, just like having to travel back someplace far away to get a license renewed.

There are a lot of people on the road here in this country and they should be able to get a jab any place that opens up. Such silly laws.

klausdorth Today 04:13 pm JST

Hope that it will not be just words again.

Less than 3% of inoculations in Japan so far - not (good) enough!

In fact, with the updated data, it already represents 3,46% of vaccinated persons. The speed of vaccination is increasing. It can be clearly seen in this link, which includes a graph.

https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations?country=JPN

And the total number of people vaccinated with 1 dose is 4.380.733.

https://github.com/owid/covid-19-data/blob/master/public/data/vaccinations/country_data/Japan.csv

From now on. The daily vaccination rate in Japan will be progressively increased. Currently the daily increase is 0,2%.

Great the Government is doing something. ITS BETTER THAN NOTHING!! Relax!!

Almost half a million vaccinations a day here in the UK. The one thing the UK government has got right.

According to NY Times tracker, Japan is currently trailing 90 other countries, 87 of them less 'wealthy' than it is. It gives the rate as 4.8 per 100 of population, but the number vaccinated according to this site is 6,112,406.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html

Whatever, the actual figure, it is, slowly, slowly, picking up pace. Such a pity Japan insists on tying its shoelaces together and falling over its feet with ridiculous overcomplication, and wastes all the resources on inefficiency. Local drive through vaccination centres at conbini car parks or out of town malls. Just show your juminhyo or your My Number, or your hoken card as proof of age/residence to qualify for a jab.

Staff enter the vaccinated person's details on a database, they are notified by email or if they don't have it by mail when it's time for their second jab (to ensure people space them properly, don't get more than two jabs, don't mix different types of vaccine).

Why don't they recruit those 260 Olympic sports medicine volunteer doctors as volunteer vaccinators? They could put a quota of vaccinations as a condition for them volunteering for the Olympics - say fifty per day for a minimum of eight weeks, five days a week. And the same with the 500 extra nurses? Between them, they could administer 1.5m jabs.

Yes, Japan is a laggard providing immunization. However, an examination of the statistics & data from around the world reveals: Fully immunized: Italy 14%. France 13%. Germany 10%. USA 37%. India 2.9%. Brazil 8%. Russia 6.6%. Spain 15%. South Korea 1.8%. Sweden 9.7%. Vietnam 0.1% World 4.6%

From the Prime Minsters Office: Total number of vaccine doses administered to date:

To healthcare professionals and others: 5,131,157 (1st: 3,467,488 2nd: 1,663,669) (as of May 14, 2021)

To the elderly: 981,249 (1st: 913,245 2nd: 68,004) (as of May 16, 2021)

Vaccine shipments picked up in May, and health ministry data show that about 7 million doses are currently sitting unused in freezers, despite initial concerns of supply shortages.

Japan has secured the supply of 344 million doses, enough to cover its entire population. That includes 194 million doses from Pfizer, 120 million from AstraZeneca and 50 million from Moderna.

Thinking out of the box required. For example, here in the UK the gap between the first and second jabs was extended to 12 weeks so that many many more people could have some protection, rather than much fewer people having full protection. Controversial at first, but it has worked. (Sorry to bang on about the UK but I live here now. I lived in Japan for 20 years and as always am appalled at the incompetence of the government over there. Plus ça change.)

Thank you JT. I read this article and it took me less than five minutes to find the site and set up an appointment for Otemachi in Tokyo. The services in Setagaya, where I live, are shamefully lacking --- impossible to get through either by telephone or online. Hopefully the vaccination will enable me to leave the country during the Tokyo Olympics.

Expiring vaccines! Last nights news announced tens of thousands of Pfizer vaccines delivered in March would expire June 30th. Their plan is to vaccinate pharmacists, ambulance staff, vaccination centers, and smaller hospitals. Front line workers?

I asked someone a question about their ability to get back in to Japan if they go to Guam for vaccination. I got 2 down votes?

Wth? I asked a legitimate question. I’ve been researching this. So far, it appears that it isn’t possible unless one has a Japanese spouse or possibly working for a large company that would allow it to be a business trip.

Seriously, if anyone has any information on the topic, please share.