Japan could delay COVID-19 schedule for inoculation of the elderly

Japan plans to start vaccinating the elderly only after coronavirus vaccinations for frontline health workers have been administered, possibly delaying the start date originally scheduled for the elderly in April, said a senior government official.

The move is aimed at ensuring a stable supply of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine, which was officially approved by the Department of Health on Sunday, the official said on Monday. About 3.7 million health workers are expected to start receiving the vaccine in March, followed by 36 million people aged 65 and over from April 1 at the earliest.

But, according to another government official, it is uncertain when Japan will be able to receive further shipments and how many, following tightening controls on vaccine exports by the European Union. Pfizer is also expected to delay its plan to increase production capacity from March.

Once an adequate supply of vaccines has been ensured, inoculations could still take place simultaneously for frontline health workers and the elderly.

After a total of 3 million doses administered to the general public, Japan will examine the potential side effects caused by various coronavirus vaccines, the health ministry said on Monday.

The ministry will invite participants to respond to its post-inoculation survey for the elderly and plans to track common side effects such as fever and fatigue among three different vaccines, including that from Pfizer.

About 10,000 to 20,000 health workers are expected to start receiving their first dose of Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday. The government will periodically collect and publish details of any side effects experienced, whether or not the vaccine is the cause.

It will also provide information on the safety of vaccines collected from the survey after the start of vaccinations for the general public.

The survey is expected to cover about 500,000 people per single dose of each version of the vaccine. A total of 3 million doses will be needed if the government includes doses from pharmaceuticals AstraZeneca PLC and Moderna Inc., alongside Pfizer.

The health ministry also said on Monday that pregnant women are outside the scope of a provision in the law requiring citizens to make efforts to receive vaccines against the coronavirus.

The decision was made due to a lack of sufficient clinical trial data on the vaccine’s effects on unborn babies. It was approved by the ministry’s health board at a meeting the same day.

Under the Immunization Act, inoculating the coronavirus vaccine is considered an extraordinary pandemic program that does not force people to participate but forces them to make an effort to do so.

Among other decisions at the meeting, the program will be in place for one year and vaccination coupons will be sent to all residents 16 years of age or older.

Pregnant women can be vaccinated when doctors decide that the benefit of the inoculation outweighs the risk.

Breastfeeding mothers will be required to make vaccination efforts. The ministry has also decided to allow people with coronavirus to be vaccinated.

The state of health of those who have had anaphylactic reactions to vaccines in the past or who have felt ill due to a blood sample will be monitored for 30 minutes after the injections. A 15-minute follow-up will be done for the others.