JAPAN MULLS DONATING ASTRAZENECA VACCINES THROUGH COVAX

A proposal has emerged in Japan to supply the COVID-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca PLC to developing countries through the COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access) initiative, Ai Yokota and Ryosuke Abe reported for Mainichi Japan.

The suggestion comes as the Japanese government has yet to decide how the vaccine should be used domestically amid rare reports of thrombosis from its use overseas. While supplying the vaccine would be a form of international cooperation, however, it remains unclear who would be held responsible if it resulted in health hazards.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare approved the use of the AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines on May 21. Combined with the Pfizer vaccine that had been approved earlier, this means that three types of vaccines are now approved for use in Japan, and the government has now secured enough vaccines to cover domestic demand.

However, because rare cases of thrombosis have been reported in Europe from the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Japanese government is holding off administering it for the time being and is continuing to deliberate who would be eligible for its use and how it would be used.

Domestically, the government has created a vaccination system in which the vaccines from the American drug companies Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. will be used. It says that it will be able to secure the necessary doses of vaccines to inoculate eligible residents from the two companies by the end of September.

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