Japan to complete vaccination of its population by November, says PM Suga

Tokyo, June 9 (EFE).- Japan has revised its goal to inoculate the entire population from February 2022 to November this year, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga indicated Wednesday.

Suga made the ambitious declaration about the battle against the coronavirus during a debate in the national parliament.

He said the goal was “to complete by October-November vaccination of all those who need it or all those who are interested in receiving the vaccine.”

The target mainly depends on mass inoculation centers like those opened in Tokyo and Osaka in May-end.

Doctors and nurses from the Japanese army are running the centers that can vaccinate up to 10,000 people per day.

The defense ministry said some 205,000 people received the vaccine doses at these two centers since their opening.

Suga stressed that health officials have so far administered about 20 million doses across the country.

It means that around 11 percent of the 125 million Japanese have received at least one vaccine dose.

Nearly 4 percent of the people have received the necessary two doses.

The prime minister said 98 percent of the people aged 65 and above would get vaccinated by July-end.

The government has designated healthcare professionals and people from the age group as priorities in its vaccination drive.

The government plans to add at least five more mass inoculation centers that will begin administering doses in July in the metropolitan area of the capital Tokyo.

Similar facilities will open up in other cities of the country.

With these facilities, the Japanese government is trying to boost the vaccination rate of its population for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The biggest sporting event opens on July 23.

Residents are generally wary of holding the Games as they fear the arrival of thousands of foreign athletes and representatives amid the pandemic. EFE

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