A syringe with a dose of coronavirus vaccine (COVID-19) is displayed at the Tokyo Metropolitan Center for Cancer and Infectious Diseases Komagome Hospital in Tokyo, Japan, March 5, 2021. Yoshikazu Tsuno / Pool via REUTERS
Japan’s COVID-19 glacial push is forcing some foreign residents to consider flying to other countries to get vaccinated, as the pandemic is growing again, with no photos of ordinary people.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga negotiated on Saturday with the CEO of Pfizer Inc. to provide more doses of the vaccine, which will now be enough for all residents by September. This is long after the scheduled start of the Tokyo Olympics and long after the pace of most major economies.
Japan began vaccinating its sizeable elderly population only this month, and health experts say it could take up to winter or longer for most of the general population to have access to photos.
It’s unclear how many foreigners are flying from Japan to get shot, but it’s a hot topic on social media and in business circles.
“I can confirm that I have heard of executives going to their countries of origin for vaccines,” said Michael Mroczek, chairman of the European Business Council in Japan, adding that this number is limited due to the need to be quarantined when I’m traveling back to Japan.
Marc Wesseling is a long-term foreign resident who could not wait. The co-founder of an advertising agency in Tokyo flew to Singapore this month, where his company has an office, in part to obtain the photos, so that he can safely visit his parents in the Netherlands.
“I love the country and wish them all the best,” Wesseling said of Japan in its quarantine neighborhoods in Singapore. “They’re not the fastest. I think a lot of people are frustrated, especially when you want to have the Olympics and everything. Come on guys. Do this. Everyone does it. Why wait?”
Japan has vaccinated about 1 percent of its population, compared to 2.9 percent in South Korea, which started later, and at least 40 percent in both the United States and the United Kingdom, according to a Reuters tracker.
The Maldives will soon provide visitors with photos as part of a “visit, vaccination and vacation” campaign, the Indian Ocean’s popular tourist destination said last week.
Japan prohibits tourists from entering the country and it is not an easy problem for residents to get vaccinated abroad and return. A two-dose regimen would take at least a few weeks, often longer, and Japan operates a two-week quarantine for people coming to the country, even if they have been vaccinated.
“If you want to return to your country of origin for inoculation, that’s fine with us,” Japanese vaccine chief Taro Kono said on Friday. “Some countries have a higher rate of COVID-19, so you may want to consider which is safer for your health.”
Representatives of the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the immigration service did not immediately respond with comments.
The best Japanese health experts say that the COVID-19 pandemic has entered a fourth wave.
Near-emergency measures have been imposed in 10 prefectures, and the western metropolis of Osaka on Tuesday called for a full declaration of urgency, amid a return in cases caused by mutant variants of the virus. Tokyo could follow up later in the week with a similar request, local media said.
Lauren Jubelt thought about going home to Florida to get the shots, but in the end she decided it wasn’t worth the risk of being caught abroad if Japan closed its borders.
“I’m frustrated when I see my family in the US getting their vaccine,” said Jubelt, who works in digital marketing in Osaka.
“We don’t even have a solid date on when we can get it here and the cases are growing again.”
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