Japan to Prioritize Seniors in Administering Coronavirus Vaccines

Kyodo News says Japan will prioritize the administration of coronavirus vaccines to its senior population over people with chronic diseases when they become available. Seniors are more vulnerable to contracting a severe form of the virus, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. The ministry said seniors are up to several dozen times more likely to develop serious complications from COVID-19 than healthy adults, while those with heart or chronic lung illness, cerebrovascular disease, or kidney failure are several times more susceptible. The government plans to obtain coronavirus vaccines for all people in the first half of 2021, and the ministry will decide which chronic ailments should be covered by preferential treatment, and whether to determine priority orders based on age after consultations with experts. The urgency of healthcare workers' need for vaccinations will be ascertained later, while those desiring a vaccine will receive free shots at healthcare centers by submitting special coupons to be distributed by local municipalities. The ministry added that they also will receive a certificate upon inoculation.