TOKYO (AP) – Months after other major economies, Japan began giving frontline healthcare professionals the first coronavirus vaccines on Wednesday. Many are wondering if the campaign will reach enough people, and in time, to save the Summer Olympics already a year behind by the worst pandemic in a century.
Despite the recent increase in infections, Japan has largely avoided the type of cataclysm that has hit other economies, social networks and health systems. But the fate of the Olympics and the billions of dollars at stake if the Games fail makes Japan’s vaccine campaign crucial. Japanese officials are also aware that China, which has successfully eradicated the virus, will host next year’s Winter Olympics, something that increases the desire to make the Tokyo Games happen.
A major problem with the launch of vaccines – first for medical workers, then for the elderly and, possibly in late spring or early summer, for the rest of the population – are concerns about the shortage of imported vaccines from which Japan it depends – time reluctance among many Japanese to get vaccines due to fear of relatively rare side effects that have been reported by the media in the past.
The late launch will make it impossible to achieve so-called “collective immunity” against the virus before the Olympics start in July, experts say.
The vaccination campaign is supported by the government, but there is widespread caution, even opposition, from citizens in relation to the Games. About 80% of respondents in recent media polls support the cancellation or postponement of the Olympics because of concerns about the virus.
Assisted by a room full of media, Dr. Kazuhiro Araki, president of Tokyo Medical Center, rolled up his shirt and got an injection on Wednesday, becoming one of the first Japanese people to be vaccinated.
“It didn’t hurt at all and I’m feeling very relieved,” he told reporters while being monitored for any allergic reactions. “We now have better protection and I hope that we will feel more comfortable providing medical treatment.”
About 40,000 doctors and nurses considered vulnerable to the virus because they treated patients with COVID-19 were in the group receiving their first dose as of Wednesday and scheduled to receive their second dose as of March 10.
Japan is behind many other countries. The government only gave its first vaccine approval on Sunday for vaccines developed and supplied by Pfizer Inc.
Britain started vaccines on December 8, while the United States began its campaign on December 14, with about 15 million people vaccinated in mid-February. Vaccines were launched in Germany, France, Italy and many European countries in late December.
Japan fell behind because it asked Pfizer to conduct clinical trials with Japanese, in addition to tests already carried out in six other nations. Japanese officials said this was necessary to address concerns in a country with low confidence in the vaccine.
“I think it is more important for the Japanese government to show the Japanese people that we have done everything possible to prove the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety to encourage the Japanese people to take it,” said Japanese vaccine minister Taro Kono. “So, at the end of the day, we may have started more slowly, but we think it will be more effective.
Japan’s distrust of vaccines has been around for decades. Many people have vague concerns about vaccines, in part because their side effects are often reported in the media here.
Half of those who received their first injections will keep daily records of their condition for seven weeks; these data will be used in a health study designed to inform people concerned about side effects.
“We would like to make efforts so that people can be vaccinated with peace of mind,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters.
Japan, where the development of its own vaccines is still in the early stages, should initially rely on vaccines developed abroad. Suga on Wednesday recognized the importance of strengthening vaccine development and production capacity as “major crisis management” and pledged to provide more support.
The supply of imported vaccines is a major concern because of the scarcity of supply and restrictions in Europe, where many are manufactured.
The supply of imported vaccines will determine the progress of the vaccination campaign in Japan, said Kono.
The first batch of the Pfizer vaccine that arrived Friday is enough to cover the first group of medical workers. The second batch is set for delivery next week.
To get the most out of each vaccine, Japanese authorities are struggling to get specialized syringes that can hold six doses per bottle, instead of five for standard Japanese syringes.
After frontline health workers now get their vaccinations, vaccinations for 3.7 million health workers will begin in March, followed by about 36 million people aged 65 and over starting in April. People with underlying health problems, as well as caregivers in nursing homes and other facilities, will be next, before the general population takes their turn.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he is determined to secure a safe and secure Olympics as “proof of human victory against the pandemic”, but the outlook is uncertain, given the state of infections. Japan is currently in a state of partial emergency, in part because measures against the Suga virus were too lax and slow.
Critics say many medical professionals are helping with the vaccination campaign at a time when Japanese hospitals are already overwhelmed with the daily treatment of patients with COVID-19. There is concern that hospitals may not have the additional capacity to handle the large number of foreign visitors that the Olympics would involve.