Regarding the third inoculation of the new coronavirus vaccine, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has decided to expand the age at which it can be inoculated from the current 18 years or older to 12 years or older.
Inoculation is expected to start next month.
The third vaccination in Japan is currently for people aged 18 and over, but the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will allow Pfizer vaccines to be vaccinated between the ages of 12 and 17, or will be deliberated by a group of experts on the 23rd. did.
The meeting was held privately, and according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, data from the United States and Israel, which has already been expanded to 12 years and over, was reported.
Of these, in the United States, it is estimated that approximately 2.8 million people between the ages of 12 and 17 received the third vaccination in the two months leading up to last month, and no deaths have been reported.
Thirty-two cases were diagnosed with "myocarditis," which causes inflammation of the heart muscle, and the rate of occurrence was lower than after the second vaccination.
In addition, research results showed that at 16 and 17 years old, the effect of preventing the aggravation after the third inoculation was confirmed even after the infection of the Omicron strain spread.
There is currently no data on the effectiveness of vaccinations for 12 to 15 years old.
The subcommittee called for continued collection of information on safety and efficacy against new mutant strains, and agreed to extend the inoculation age to 12 years and older.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will hold a subcommittee made up of experts on the 24th, and plans to add 12 to 17 years old to the public vaccination target that can receive the third vaccination for free, and the vaccination will start next month. It is a prospect.