Pfizer seeks approval of COVID-19 vaccine in Japan

U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. requested formal approval by Japan of its COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, making it the country’s first supplier to do so.

The Japanese government has already agreed with Pfizer to receive a supply of 120 million doses of the vaccine, enough for 60 million people, or about half of its population.

The United States and Britain have already started administering the coronavirus vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE, while Singapore and some other countries are expected to follow.

But concerns remain about its safety after local U.S. officials said on Wednesday that a health worker in Alaska showed a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine. Similar allergic reactions in two health workers have also been reported in Britain.

Earlier this month, the Diet passed a law to cover the cost of vaccinating residents, amid a resurgence of infections that shows no signs of abating.

As vaccinations could begin as early as March, the government plans to ask municipalities to prepare sites in addition to medical institutions before deployment, as well as put in place systems to accept reservations.

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine should be administered in batches of 1000 doses, but it should be stored at minus 75 degrees Celsius or less and administered within approximately 10 days.