TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s health ministry said on Sunday it had officially approved Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine, the country’s first such approval, as it intensifies efforts to tame the third wave of infections ahead of the Olympics. Summer Games.
The move was widely expected after a government group recommended approval on Friday, at which point Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said Japan would give its final approval as soon as possible.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said vaccinations would begin in the middle of next week, starting with about 10,000 health workers. The government hopes to provide enough supplies for the entire population – about 126 million people – by the middle of the year.
Much of Japan is still in a state of emergency after the third and deadliest wave of the virus struck late last year. Cases and deaths have been lower in the last two weeks, and Tokyo has seen just under 400 cases in the capital on Sunday.
Japan has so far recorded approximately 410,000 coronavirus cases nationwide and 6,772 deaths. The Olympic Games will begin on July 23.
Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka and Elaine Lies; Montage by Kenneth Maxwell