Japan investigates possibility of giving third COVID-19 booster next year

Japan has started a study to determine whether it should administer third injections of the coronavirus vaccine next year, officials said.

Spurred on by the likelihood that the vaccine’s effectiveness will decline over time and the need to respond to highly infectious viral variants, the government will continue the study while trying to secure supplies of at least 200 million doses per year. next, officials said on Friday.

Tokyo will make a decision on the matter after considering the viral infection situation and how other governments are dealing with COVID-19 booster injections.

Abroad, Israel’s booster injections are already in full swing for people aged 60 and over, while Germany is expected to start providing third COVID-19 injections for the elderly in September. Sweden has also decided to do the same, possibly in the fall, with Britain preparing to start offering booster shots in September.

Japan’s vaccination program was launched in February, initially for healthcare workers. It was extended to the elderly in April and later to other members of the public.

The country’s minister in charge of immunization efforts, Taro Kono, said on July 30 that Japan “will likely administer next year” third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The government signed a contract in July to receive an additional 50 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine from Moderna Inc. starting in early 2022. Discussions are also underway to secure 150 million doses of the vaccine developed by Novavax Inc. from the beginning of 2022..

As judgment on the need for booster injections varies from country to country, Japan will collect data on clinical trials conducted overseas and investigate not only the need but also whether it should allow the a person’s third dose to come from a different company than the one that developed their first and second doses, officials said.

Moderna on Thursday said its coronavirus vaccine maintained 93% efficacy for six months after the second injection, but stressed the likelihood of a third booster injection being needed afterwards to protect against new variants. , citing a drop in antibody levels.

Meanwhile, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday called on some advanced countries to suspend their current or planned administration of third injections until at least the end of September, saying that access Fairness to COVID-19 vaccines among all countries is a higher priority.

Noting that many people have to work for a living even in the midst of the pandemic, the WHO chief told a press conference: “While hundreds of millions of people are still waiting for their first dose, some rich countries are moving towards booster doses. “