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Japan formally approves its first Covid vaccine

WION Web Team
Tokyo, JapanUpdated: Feb 14, 2021, 03:58 PM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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Japan has so far recorded about 410,000 coronavirus cases nationally and 6,772 deaths. The Olympic Games are due to start July 23.

Japan has officially approved Pfizer Inc's Covid vaccine, as the country steps up efforts to tame a third wave of infections in the run-up to the Summer Olympic Games.

"The health minister today gave a special approval to the Pfizer vaccine," the prime minister's office said in a tweet on Sunday.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said vaccinations will begin from the middle of next week, starting with some 10,000 health workers. The government hopes to secure enough supplies for the whole populace - some 126 million people - by mid-year.

Japan is expected to put the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the arms of 10,000 to 20,000 medical workers from as early as Wednesday, before making it and other coronavirus vaccines available for more medical workers and the elderly from April.

The government is yet to outline the exact rollout schedule for the rest of its population of 126 million people.

Olympics officials have insisted that the Tokyo Games will take place even though Covid-19 continues to affect the entire world.

Japan has so far recorded about 410,000 coronavirus cases nationally and 6,772 deaths. The Olympic Games are due to start July 23.