Objective comments

Someone tell me why my 75 year old mother in-law can't get her vaccination until July 13th in Japan. And my wife and me have had both of our shots in Canada. Why is it taking so long in Japan?

Because Japan didn't start the rollout until later than Canada. But they have administered more doses than Canada since then. July 13 would be only 2 months after the general public vaccine roll-out began which is very reasonable. IF Japan had started vaccines in January, a July 13 vaccination date would be considered slow.

stickman1760Today  07:05 am JST

The fact that we are almost in July and the vast majority of us are still unvaccinated is proof enough to me that the government has failed miserably. My entire extended family in North America has been fully vaccinated months ago. It’s pathetic that we are still waiting on the govt to get its act together.

Not one country (with over 20M doses administered) has more than 50% of its population FULLY vaccinated.

Most are in the 10-25% range with the USA, UK, and Chile nearing 50%

Source: Vaccinations by location From Our World in Data · Last updated: 1 day ago

I want to like her. I really do!

The worst seems to be behind us. More than a quarter of adults who wanted the vaccine have got at least their first dose for a total of 30M doses (70-95% efficacy rate.) By October everyone who wants to be vaccinated will get their wish. The others will go about it at their own "peril."

It will be 90% expats lining up. Most young Japanese citizens could care less about getting the vaccine.

It is becoming abundantly clear that the Japanese are not sold on the vaccines. But iff you gauged the demand for the vaccine by the number of expats wincing on Japan Today forums you would think 100% of the residents want it.

Awesome! Looking good Japan.

Best not to take advice from Britain where they locked down their residents for months on end in 2020 while Covid continued to spread out of control. Fortunately we never had lockdowns or such high casualties. We were cautious and managed to balance the pandemic with our every day lives.

Japan is a different situation and things are getting better, daily, thanks to a huge increase in vaccines being administered. Plus there is already overkill on screening Olympians coming here. Ask the Australian softball team.

smartacusToday  05:08 pm JST

Since they are fully vaccinated and are being tested each day, I don't see why they can't go out for a walk, or at least take a bus ride into the mountains and then go on a nature walk there.

You are 100% correct. This is all about "show" and not science.

OxycodinToday  04:50 pm JST

I hope the GOVT doesn't forget to vaccinate the homeless of Japan too

what if they don't want it?

So rare that the first two posts are positive and optimistic about Japan's pandemic situation. We all know things are getting better day-by-day. It is excellent to see.

theloniusToday  08:46 am JST

Canada has no domestic vaccine supply, yet they've managed to give 65% at least one shot.

Japan has no excuse. None.

You can't administer vaccines to 65% of the public if they don't want them. So many people here are on the fence, especially young people. There is simply a lack of demand. Japan didn't start their nation-wide inoculation until late May. As a percentage they haven't vaccinated many, but in a couple of months they have administrated enough to cover Canadian adults first dose (over 20M jabs). If they maintain a 1M dose per day schedule the situation will improve greatly. It already is getting better.

@lordoffys I don't know if it's just me. Every photo I see of Japan's "mass vaccine" venues there are about a dozen health workers and maybe 3 or 4 people there to get their shots.

You probably aren't wrong. The demand for the vaccine in Japan is VERY low. That is why they are opening it up to under 65 sooner than originally estimated.

So little risk in a fresh air outdoor stadium. The indoor events will likely have a smaller maximum attendance ceiling. People have been using packed public transportation to get to and from work over the past year so that won't be an issue. With the vaccinated level much higher at the time of the Olympics, it is a good call to get fans in the seats and our lives back to normal. Even though there is opposition to holding the games now, the public will make a 180 once we get closer and the cases continue to drop. Great news!

@Antiquesaving So in your opinion, are things getting worse or are they getting better? You seem quite displeased with the obvious improving situation. Best to look beyond emotions when reaching a conclusion. Your assumptions (conspiracies) on "actual" Covid cases/deaths are only that. I am basing my optimism on published numbers which is more solid than what you are basing your pessimism on.

@antiquesaving You showed an article on hospital bed occupancy rates, not cases. Are you saying the situation is getting worse in Japan? With 1M daily shots administered, how is the situation getting worse? If one looks at this logically (and not emotionally), the Corona infection rate in Japan will continue to decrease. It is common sense. It happened in all other countries where vaccines given. Just because you have no love for the Japanese government doesn't mean they can't do something right (albeit later than many wanted.)

This is very good news. Plus, vaccines are hitting 1M jabs per day. There is no rational way to argue that things are getting worse in Japan. We have been fortunate to live in such a free country. It looks like they may just pull off the Olympics without major issues. Hopefully lots of fans too. Think positive because that is the direction this is going in.

Let's face it... the demand for the vaccine is very low in Japan compared to other countries. This is why they are opening up to under 65 sooner than expected. Certainly in some areas we see masses of people clambering to get an appointment. But there are millions who aren't considering getting the vaccine. This isn't America.

Infections across Japan have been declining, with the nationwide tally of new coronavirus cases at 2,242 on Wednesday, down from 6,000-7,000 daily in early May.

This is great news and it will only get better with 1M daily vaccinations happening.

@Antiquesaving Have been here 20 years and couldn't imagine living in a better country with so much freedom. No complaints. There have been many highs and some tragic lows. If you are looking for the government to hold your hand, Japan is obviously not for you. Embrace capitalism and take care of yourself.

@zoroto No, it's not VERY achievable. It's borderline achievable if everything goes well and they work weekends and holidays. 60% of the population will take 5 months at 1M per shot.

Isn't 5 months from now... NOVEMBER??? This is exactly what the government said. They will be able to vaccinate all of the people that want the shot by then. What is with all the defeatism and fatalism? Vaccines are rolling out big time regardless if you don't believe it. 1M a day now and likely to expand soon. Things are changing for the better.

shhh...reporting that their are so few clusters at Pachinko parlors goes against the narrative. Next you are going to tell us that their are few clusters at onsens. Imagine!?

@Antiquesaving

Not wanting to get this vaccine doesn't make one an anti-vaxer. It is a personal choice based on risk assessment. I have gotten other vaccines before but I don't feel I need this one and am happy to give my dose to someone older or who has underlying conditions. Can you see millions of Japanese under 40 rushing out to get vaccines? If you read the room, most are not concerned about it.

They forgot to mention the major decrease of cases in Sapporo over the past 2 weeks.

https://twitter.com/KH_HokujinIGRTC/status/1402636745821233154

Read the article carefully... By November they will have vaccinated everyone who WANTS a shot. This is VERY achievable at the current pace of 1M shots per day. Protect the elderly and those at the highest risk. The younger and healthier folks can assess their own risk. Remember that nearly 40% of adults don't want to get the vaccine.

Zoroto...actually I was wrong... there were 1 million doses administered over 24 hours (June 7-8).

https://www.sankei.com/article/20210608-UHNN3DS4QFJFTF2VCKIWUHIZSY/

Only 60% of the adult population want the vaccine so it won't take too much time to get the infected numbers down to a very manageable level. I will do my part and help the cause by letting someone older than me get my dose.

Public perception of the games is going to change very quickly. The vaccines are being pumped out rapidly this month. Only days ago it was 500K vaccines a day and I just looked now and it was 1 million doses administered in the past 24 hours. The number of infected is decreasing daily. Tickets will be in high demand. Japan just might pull this off.

Zoroto...Death rate is unknown since we don't know how many people have Covid. As you have stated before, they don't test too much in Japan. We do know the number of deaths though.

We also know that the number of people that test positive for Covid is dropping. In prefectures like Hokkaido, where they are praised for their accurate reporting, it has dropped significantly.

Vaccines are finally rolling in massive numbers, over 500,000 a day. This will reach 1M per day before the end of June. The worst is behind us. This is something to be happy about. The past does not equal the future.

Capitalism rules!

Nobody here knows why he killed himself.