Japan Sets 3rd Vax Shot

Japan may start administering third shots of coronavirus vaccines to people by the end of this year, the health ministry said Friday, as the nation looks to respond to the continued spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, according to Kyodo News.

Photo Insert: By administering booster shots, Japan hopes to curb the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

Health experts on a government subcommittee agreed on the necessity of the third shot and approved the ministry's plan to start inoculating people at least eight months after they received their second dose.

The potential booster shots may start being administered from November when the government aims to have completed vaccinating all eligible people who wish to be inoculated.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said all three doses should be from the same manufacturer in principle, but it will look into more studies before drawing a conclusion.

As for the idea of giving people vaccines produced by different manufacturers, the ministry said the first and second shots should be doses of the same supplier, but it will revise rules to enable people to receive a booster vaccine produced by a different company under certain circumstances.

Three COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc., and AstraZeneca Plc are currently available in Japan, all of which are administered in two doses. Israel is among the countries that have already started administering booster shots to their population.

The Japanese government will also discuss who will be eligible for the third shot and the order of priority, based on data and the progress of other nations.

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