Challenges surrounding COVID-19 vaccination in Japan: Fraught history and current vaccine hesitancy europeansting.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from europeansting.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga briefs reporters Feb. 26 on the decision to lift the COVID-19 state of emergency early for six prefectures. (Kotaro Ebara)
Health experts fear the government acted hastily and rashly in deciding to lift its COVID-19 state of emergency for six prefectures earlier than for four others in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area.
The government approved the decision on Feb. 26, the day its panel of experts met prior to a task force gathering that approved the lifting of the state of emergency for Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Aichi, Gifu and Fukuoka prefectures.
During the meeting that continued for an hour beyond schedule, a number of experts raised doubts about whether now was the right time to lift the curbs that have seen sharp declines in the daily number of people infected with the novel coronavirus.
Japan health minister vows to secure more vaccines | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News nhk.or.jp - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nhk.or.jp Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Last modified on Thu 11 Feb 2021 13.07 EST
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics could place an intolerable strain on Japanese health workers who are already exhausted from battling three waves of coronavirus infections, medical experts have warned.
Japan has avoided the catastrophic number of deaths seen in other major economies, but about half the population is still living under a state of emergency that is expected to last until the beginning of March, just weeks before preparations for the Olympics are due to begin with a nationwide torch relay.
While case numbers have fallen since the latest state of emergency was declared on 7 January, Japan reported a record 121 Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total to 6,678, according to the health ministry. Tokyo – by far the hardest hit region – has reported just over 105,000 cases and 1,078 deaths.
Experts urge caution as coronavirus variants spread in Japan
February 11, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Doctor Anil Mehta and Apprentice Nursing Associate Ellie Bull prepare syringes with doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine at the Welcome Centre in Ilford, east London, on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) TOKYO The number of people found infected with new strains of the coronavirus in Japan has topped 100, with community infections reported and major clusters seen in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that one variant was up to 70% more transmissible than the original, and experts in Japan are calling for people to be careful.