Covid-19 in Japan: the fiasco of the vaccination campaign
Audio 01:18
In the streets of Tokyo, Japan, April 23, 2021. REUTERS - ISSEI KATO
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
In Japan, the state of emergency comes into force this Sunday, April 25 in Tokyo.
The measure also applies to several large cities such as Kyoto or Osaka as well as to their suburbs.
Residents are invited to limit their movements as much as possible and all non-essential businesses must remain closed.
The archipelago is facing a particularly virulent fourth wave of the epidemic.
However, in this country, the vaccination campaign for the general public has only just started and it is progressing very slowly.
The surge in the number of cases is therefore of great concern to the population.
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With our correspondent in Tokyo,
Bruno Duval
In Japan, only 2% of people aged 65 and over have been vaccinated. This means that 35 million seniors are still not immune as the fourth wave of the epidemic sweeps the country.
It frightens and irritates these Tokyoites.
“
We are months behind compared to the United States,”
said one of them.
It is unforgivable.
Little old people are going to die for lack of being vaccinated.
"
I am elderly and chronically ill,"
said another.
However, at the town hall, I was told that I would not be vaccinated before July or August!
It worries me a little ..
.
""
We have to make an appointment online, yes, but I'm 89
, continues another.
Me tablets, smartphones and all that, it is not my strong point.
"
►
See also:
Covid-19: three months before the Olympics, Japan declares a new state of emergency
Poor management of the epidemic?
The authorities' lack of communication about vaccination also makes many people unsure, like these two young women: “
There are more anaphylactic reactions in Japan than elsewhere, but the authorities do not provide any explanation.
It is not reassuring
.
""
Me, who is pregnant, if I get vaccinated, will it protect my baby or put him in danger
?
No one seems able to answer me clearly, and that scares me
.
"
Three in four respondents disapprove of the way the vaccination campaign is unfolding and, more generally, the government's handling of the epidemic.
► Also to listen: Will the Tokyo Olympics be discounted Games?
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Japan
Coronavirus
Vaccines