People in Japan who received the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. appear to have suffered anaphylaxis at a higher rate than in the United States and Europe, said the minister in charge of vaccination efforts on Wednesday.
“It is true, this seems to be more than in the United States and Europe,” Taro Kono told a parliamentary committee.
The health ministry later said that eight more cases of anaphylaxis, a serious and potentially fatal allergic reaction, were reported, bringing the total to 25 out of about 148,000 health workers who were vaccinated by Wednesday.
The photo shows a Pfizer Inc. COVID-19 vaccine being administered at Kumamoto General Hospital in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, southwest Japan, on February 19, 2021. (Kyodo)
Among those who suffered anaphylaxis, 24 were women. The first male case was reported on the same day.
The rate compares to five cases for every 1 million doses administered in the United States and 20 cases per million in Britain, although Japan is more delayed in launching vaccines and may change as more people receive injections.
Japan is in the process of inoculating some 4.8 million health workers across the country before expanding to people aged 65 and over in mid-April. People with pre-existing illnesses, such as diabetes, and those who work in care institutions for the elderly are scheduled to come next.
People taking the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech SE are being asked to stay in place for at least 15 minutes to check for anaphylaxis and other side effects.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, symptoms experienced within five to 30 minutes after receiving the injection include sore throat, hives and difficulty breathing. They all recovered after receiving treatment.
Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said a ministry panel plans to review the matter on Friday, investigating whether the symptoms reported in Japan are as severe as those abroad.
Pfizer said clinical trials showed that its vaccine is 95% effective in preventing the symptoms of COVID-19, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called inoculations a “decisive factor” in controlling the pandemic.
But only 63.1% of respondents to a Kyodo News survey conducted last month said they want to be vaccinated, with 27.4% saying no, apparently due to concerns about side effects.
The reported cases of coronavirus in Japan have declined since Suga declared a state of emergency in the Tokyo metropolitan area and elsewhere in January.
But the decline has bottomed out in recent weeks and the emergency declaration has been extended until March 21 amid persistent concerns about the strain in hospitals and the spread of more infectious variants of the virus.
Shigeru Omi, head of the government’s COVID-19 subcommittee, said on Wednesday that variants, first discovered in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, would also become the dominant strain in Japan “sooner or later “.
“There is no doubt that the process to replace the existing strain has already begun,” he told a parliamentary committee, emphasizing the need to step up efforts to monitor its spread.
