COVID-19 Vaccination Rate Tops 70 Pct in Japan

Tokyo, Oct. 26 (Jiji Press)--The COVID-19 vaccination rate in Japan has risen to 70.1 pct, the government announced Tuesday. Japan's vaccination rate is now the third highest among the Group of Seven countries, after 73.29 pct in Canada and 70.54 pct in Italy, having outpaced 56.47 pct in the United States and 66.69 pct in Britain, according to Oxford University's Our World in Data website as of Thursday. In Japan, vaccine rollouts have been progressing steadily since vaccinations for people other than medical workers and others with priority started in April, whereas some other countries are facing slow progress after the vaccination rate exceeded 60 pct. As of Tuesday, 70.1 pct of Japan's population has received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, while 76.7 pct has been given at least one dose. The total number of vaccine shots given in the country came to some 185.97 million. The number of people who has received two shots stood at about 88.79 million. The proportion of such people reached 90.4 pct for those aged 65 or older. The Japanese government has set a goal of finishing a second vaccine shot for everyone who hopes to be vaccinated in early November. It plans to start administering a third dose to medical workers as soon as December. An advisory panel of the health ministry agreed at its meeting on Tuesday that the current nationwide situation of COVID-19 infections is "the lowest level since summer last year," attributing the declining number of infections to progress on vaccinations, among other reasons. Speaking at a press conference on the day, however, the panel's chair, Takaji Wakita, head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, underscored the need to promote vaccinations for young people and also prepare a third round of vaccinations to prevent so-called breakthrough infections. END