TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2021) Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has ordered the national self-defense forces to create a mass vaccination center as part of efforts to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, media reported on Tuesday, citing the country's defense minister.
According to Kyodo news agency, the center will open in Tokyo on May 24 and operate for three months.
Japan's vaccination campaign started in February with BioNTech/Pfizer shots � the only coronavirus vaccine currently approved in the country. In addition, Japan is set to receive AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines, which are expected to be certified in May.
The first phase of the vaccination campaign covered 4.7 million health workers. On April 12, the authorities started vaccinating people over 65 began. A full-scale mass vaccination is expected to unfold after the May holidays. A total of 36 million elderly people will be vaccinated at this stage. So far, less than 1 percent of the population has been vaccinated in Japan.
