Japan to open large COVID-19 vaccination centres in Tokyo, Osaka: Report
25 April, 2021
The Japanese government is likely to open large vaccination centers in Tokyo and Osaka in the coming weeks to administer shots in a bid to speed up its inoculation drive, local media reported on Sunday (Apr 25).
Japan only started vaccinating its sizable elderly population this month and health professionals say it might take till the wintertime (December to February) or longer for most of the overall populace to access the shots.
The Nikkei newspaper said on Sunday the federal government will open a vaccination site in central Tokyo as soon as May which will be in a position to vaccinate about 10,000 persons a day. The site will most probably to anyone living and employed in Tokyo, the paper said.
Medically trained staff from Japan's Self-Defense Forces may also assist with vaccinations in such centres, the Nikkei said.
JAPAN government has come under sharp criticism because of its sluggish vaccination rollout, which includes been handled mostly by municipal authorities. Japan has vaccinated about 1 % of its population, according to a Reuters tracker.
Japan has avoided an explosive spread of the pandemic experienced by many countries. There were about 550,000 cases and 9,761 deaths, considerably lower numbers than inother large economies.
However the latest rise in infections has stoked alarm, with a surge in a mutant variant and a critical shortage of medical staff and hospital beds in a few areas.
Japan's third state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures commenced on Sunday, that may cover nearly 25 % of the population and attempt to combat a surge in coronavirus cases three months before the Tokyo Olympics is defined to open.
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