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Japan to open Covid-19 vaccination to people under 65 as early as mid-June

Individual municipalities will be given more leeway in determining how to prioritise rollout

Emma Steen
Written by
Emma Steen
Former writer, Time Out Tokyo
Covid-19 vaccine
Photo: Daniel Schludi/Unsplash
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On Sunday, health minister Norihisa Tamura announced that municipalities who are on track to inoculate all residents aged 65 and older by end-July can start sending vaccine vouchers to the general public in June. This means municipalities may begin administering vaccines for residents under the age of 65 concurrently with seniors as early as mid next month. People with underlying health conditions will also be able to get the vaccine at the same time – and they will have priority over those without underlying conditions. 

To help speed up vaccination, individual municipalities are also given some flexibility in expanding their rollout. In the city of Fukuoka, for instance, inoculations are now open to caregivers, with nursery and kindergarten staff soon to follow. 

The Pfizer vaccine was officially deemed safe enough for adolescents between the ages 12 through 15. However, The Japan Times reports that this does not mean the vaccine will become available to them immediately. The government still has to decide on matters such as whether the child must be accompanied by a parent or guardian in order to receive the vaccine.

For information on Japan’s vaccine rollout for the general public, see our tentative timeline report.

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