TOKYO (Reuters) – The European Union has approved the first shipment of Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine to Japan, said the minister who oversees Japan’s vaccination program on Tuesday, as the country plans to start vaccination in mid-February.
It appears that each shipment requires EU approval, said the minister, Taro Kono. He did not say how many doses the first shipment would contain, or when it would be delivered.
“This will allow us to start vaccinating the initial group of medical workers. We need to set the schedule for the rest of the medical and elderly workers as we go along,” said Kono at a regular news conference.
The Japanese government plans to vaccinate health workers first, then the elderly, followed by people with health problems and those working in care institutions for the elderly.
Japan, with a population of 126 million, has signed contracts to purchase 314 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca PLC, Moderna Inc and Pfizer, enough for 157 million people.
(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Gerry Doyle)