Japan’s COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout in Turmoil (1)

With the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games just around the corner, Japan’s novel coronavirus vaccination program is in turmoil.

In response to a resurgence in novel coronavirus infections in Tokyo, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has declared a state of emergency in the capital, effective from July 12 to August 22, prompting the organizers of the Tokyo Olympics, which run from July 23 through August 8, to hold the event　without spectators in the metropolitan area.

Japan's inoculation campaign using the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines got off to a slow start in mid-February when it prioritized front-line medical personnel and then saw the pace pick up somewhat in recent weeks as shots began being given to people aged 65 or older.

Then, on June 8, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) started accepting applications from companies, organizations and universities for administering COVID vaccinations at workplaces to people 18 and older, many including families, using the Moderna vaccine as part of the government’s drive to increase the speed of the vaccine rollout.

To seize the opportunity, The Nippon Foundation filed an application with the MHLW on June 14 for giving shots to its employees and those of its partner organizations, including those in motorboat racing, in Tokyo, followed by a similar request on June 17 to do the same in Osaka and Fukuoka, both western Japan. (The foundation’s primary funding source is a part of the proceeds from Japanese motorboat racing.)

However, on June 23, Mr. Taro Kono, Cabinet minister in charge of the vaccination rollout, told a press conference that starting on June 25, the MHLW would “suspend accepting new applications for inoculation, given that we are already reaching the maximum capacity to distribute the vaccines."

Many companies and organizations, which had started applying or preparing to apply to the MHLW, were astonished and bewildered by the suspension and forced to cancel inoculation appointments with their employees and families.

The foundation lodged its applications before the announcement was made. We were told that although the MHLW would send vaccine doses for our employees and those of partner organizations in Tokyo, the deliveries of those for our colleagues in Osaka and Fukuoka would be delayed considerably with no indication of when workplace vaccinations could resume.

As of July 10, about 37.2 million people or 29.3% of Japan’s population of 125 million had received at least one dose, according to the Prime Minister’s Office and the MHLW. Those who were fully vaccinated following their second dose stood at 22.2 million or 17.5% of the total. The figures are the lowest among major economies.

(To be continued)