Regarding vaccination against the new coronavirus, the government said that it would start vaccination of the elderly in a limited manner from April 12, and would like to deliver a quantity of vaccine that will be distributed to all local governments from the week of April 26. Clarified my thoughts.

However, there was no explanation as to how much vaccine would be supplied to the local governments that would actually inoculate, and the local governments were forced to revise their originally planned plans while making preparations. I am having a hard time responding.

Vaccination against the new coronavirus began on the 17th of last week, targeting approximately 40,000 healthcare workers, and by the 24th of this month, approximately 18,000 people had been vaccinated.

Elderly people start vaccination from April 12

The Minister of Regulatory Reform, who is in charge of vaccination, will start vaccination for the elderly on April 12th, and wants to deliver a quantity of vaccines to all local governments from the week of April 26th. We announced the immediate schedule.

Regarding specific vaccine delivery,


▽ In the week of April 5, we delivered a total of 100 boxes, 4 boxes each to the populous Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Osaka, and 2 boxes each to other prefectures. This is equivalent to two doses of about 50,000 elderly people.


▽ In the week of the 12th, 20 boxes each in Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Osaka, 10 boxes each in other prefectures, 500 boxes in total, equivalent to 2 times of about 250,000 elderly people,


▽ Week of the 19th In the same way, we will deliver a total of 500 boxes.


▽ On top of that, Minister Kono stated that when the supply of vaccines for the elderly will begin to all local governments, "From the week of April 26, we would like to deliver a quantity of vaccines that will be distributed to all municipalities nationwide." It was.

Vaccine quantity to local government "I can't tell you specifically"

Minister Kono said at the House of Representatives Budget Committee on the 25th, "Not all 36 million elderly people can hit immediately, and it is physically impossible. I would like to expand while checking the delivery and system." Said.



On top of that, regarding the quantity of vaccines that will be delivered to all local governments from the week of April 26, "Please forgive me for not being able to specifically say. How much can I say externally with Pfizer? We are communicating. "



He said, "I would like to ask you to follow the plans of each local government from now on." He said that he would like to have the inoculation proceed based on the plans of each local government according to the geographical conditions and population.



In addition, Minister Kono said, "It is not something that can be done by observing the first decision like a golden rule, but it is important to be able to flexibly respond and help each other when something happens."



On the other hand, regarding the number of vaccinations, Minister Kono said, "We will do it under the direction of Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Tamura, who decides the policy, but at this point we are preparing twice."

The response of the local government

In response to the idea that vaccinations for the elderly will be started on April 12th, some local governments nationwide are busy with measures such as reviewing their plans.

Should we precede "group inoculation" or "individual inoculation"?

Inagi City, Tokyo, with a population of over 92,000.


Approximately 20,000 elderly people aged 65 and over will be given


"group vaccinations" at two public facilities and


"individual vaccinations" at 22 medical institutions at the same time

from April 1

in


8 weeks. We have made plans to complete 40,000 vaccinations, twice for each person, and have been working to secure venues and medical staff.



On the other hand, the minister in charge of regulatory reform Kono said on the 24th,


▽ Vaccination for the elderly will start from April 12th


▽ We want to deliver a quantity of vaccines that will be distributed to all local governments from the week of April 26th. However, it is said that each prefecture will adjust which municipality to inoculate and how to distribute the vaccine, and the amount of vaccine that it wants to deliver to all local governments from the week of April 26 is also shown. Not.

Since the initially expected vaccination schedule will be delayed, the department in charge of Inagi City is busy making adjustments such as contacting the local medical association by telephone from the morning of the 25th.



And since the amount of vaccine supplied is limited, it is said that it is considering reviewing the previous plan to perform "group inoculation" and "individual inoculation" at the same time, and prioritizing either inoculation method. That is.

Etsuko Katsuno, chief of the Inagi City Health Division, who is in charge of vaccination, said, "I don't know how much vaccine will actually reach Inagi City, and I'm worried whether I can really start vaccination from April 12. Mass vaccination and individual vaccination. I was considering starting at the same time, but if the amount is small, I have to delay either one. There is no choice but to estimate and adjust the number of inoculations each time depending on the amount coming in. " ..

"The country provides early information"

Nerima Ward, Tokyo, with a population of approximately 740,000.


We are preparing for the vaccination, assuming that 65% of the elderly aged 65 and over, or about 100,000 people, will be vaccinated.

In order for the elderly to receive vaccinations in a familiar place with peace of mind, we have set about 250 clinics in the ward as the main vaccination sites and are promoting the creation of a system that can be handled by family doctors at schools and ward facilities. We plan to carry out mass inoculation in a complementary manner.



Nerima Ward has been preparing for vaccination since early April, so even if there is a slight delay in the schedule, there are no major issues in terms of posture.



However, if a sufficient amount of vaccine is not distributed, it will not be possible to subdivide it into clinics and hospitals, and it will be difficult to proceed with vaccination as planned.

Yuji Nakajima, Chief of the Nerima Ward Residents' Vaccination Section, said, "I'm sorry for those who want to get vaccinated early, but it's the first time and the situation is tight worldwide, so the schedule is a little delayed. However, if you can tell us about the amount of vaccine supply early, you can do various simulations, so I would like the country to be informed as soon as possible. "

Concerned about lack of specific information

Since December last year, Sakai City, Osaka, has set up a specialized team in charge of vaccination of the new corona, and 14 staff members are working on it.

Regarding the government's announcement on the night of the 24th that vaccination of elderly people will start on April 12th, Masanori Kubo, a director of the specialized team, said, "We have a prospect of starting, and the full-scale vaccination is finally underway. I feel that we are approaching. We will put in place a system so that we can inoculate quickly. "



Regarding the supply of vaccines, the government says that it will deliver 4 boxes in the week of April 5th


and 20 boxes each in the week of

the

12th and 19th, for a total of 44 boxes.


This is equivalent to two doses of about 22,000 people in total.



However, it is not shown at this time how much will be supplied to Sakai City.

Mr. Kubo said, "If there is no information on the supply amount, there is a concern that reservations cannot be made even if the vaccination ticket is mailed. There is no information on when the special syringes required for vaccination will be deployed. I would like to continue to ask for information so that I will not be anxious, "he said, expressing concern about the lack of specific information.

Unable to secure sufficient amount, priority is given to facilities for the elderly during April

Osaka City has given priority to vaccination at facilities for the elderly, saying that it will not be able to secure sufficient vaccine during April in response to the prospect of supply of the new coronavirus vaccine announced by the government on the 24th, and individual vaccination and mass vaccination. Decided not to do it.

This was decided at the vaccination promotion headquarters meeting held by the city of Osaka on the 25th.



Specifically, during April, when the supply of vaccines is low, priority is given to vaccinations for residents of facilities for the elderly, who are considered to have a high risk of aggravation, and individual vaccinations and groups for the elderly who wanted to start at the same time. We do not carry out inoculation.



According to the city of Osaka, there are about 50,000 residents in facilities for the elderly, while the number of vaccines supplied to the city by the week of April 19 is expected to be only about 13,000. The inoculation may end after May.



In addition, it was decided to wait for the government to provide specific information on vaccine supply before deciding when to start individual vaccinations and mass vaccinations for the elderly.



So far, Osaka City has been preparing to complete all vaccinations for applicants in the six months from April to September.



At the meeting, Mayor Matsui said, "I think it is more difficult to secure vaccines than we expected. We would like to review the plan according to the supply amount indicated by the country."