The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is making adjustments to officially approve the new coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer, a major US pharmaceutical company, on the 15th of this month if it is approved by a subcommittee by experts.
Regarding the new coronavirus vaccine, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has signed a contract to receive supply for 72 million people from Pfizer in the United States by the end of the year, out of the three types imported from major overseas pharmaceutical companies.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has decided to hold an expert group on the 12th of this month to decide whether to approve the vaccine after Pfizer submitted domestic clinical trial data last week.
If the approval of the subcommittee is obtained, the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Tamura will formally approve it on the 15th of the following week.
In addition, the target of inoculation is 16 years old or older for the time being, and the policy is not to allow it to be used by people who have had a serious allergic reaction to the vaccine components in the past.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has decided to instruct local governments about the subjects who can be vaccinated based on the Vaccination Law and the start date of vaccination immediately after official approval toward the start of vaccination in the middle of this month.