With the proliferation of coronavirus infections, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has proposed to a subcommittee of experts to add the AstraZeneca vaccine to public vaccination.
Since it has been pointed out that there is a risk of blood clots occurring very rarely, in principle, it was announced that people under the age of 40 should not be vaccinated, and discussions are still ongoing.
The AstraZeneca vaccine was approved this May, but has not been used for public vaccination due to the extremely rare risk of blood clots.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has carefully considered the target age, etc., but in principle, proposed to a subcommittee of experts on the 30th that it should be used for public vaccination on the condition that it should not be vaccinated under the age of 40.
Reasons include the fact that other vaccines are recommended for people under the age of 40 and used for public vaccination in the UK, and that related academic societies in the country published a medical guide last month.
If people who are allergic to the ingredients of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines wish to receive the vaccine, or if there is a need to stop the distribution of other vaccines, we will allow it to be used by people under the age of 40. It means to reconsider the target age based on the situation of.
The committee members commented that it is important to show data and understand the risks and effects before proceeding with inoculation, and discussions are still ongoing.
The background to the government's proposal for use in public vaccination is that the number of seriously ill people in their 40s and 50s who have not been vaccinated is increasing, mainly in Tokyo, and the desired vaccine has not arrived at the local government. It seems that there are a series of movements to stop vaccination reservations.
In addition, the subcommittee has proposed and is expected to expand the target age for official inoculation of the Moderna vaccine from the current age of 18 to 12 years.