Japanese PM, Pfizer CEO talk about supply of further vaccine doses in 2021 to Japan By Reuters 

By Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga requested U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc (NYSE:) on Saturday to offer further provides of COVID-19 vaccine to Japan this yr, Nikkei reported.

Pfizer confirmed in an electronic mail that Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla met with Suga just about to debate vaccine provide on the final day of Suga’s three-day go to to Washington. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is the one one authorized in Japan.

newspaper reported earlier that Suga requested Pfizer to offer extra vaccine doses.

Inoculations of Japan’s sizable aged inhabitants started on Monday, however some consultants cautioned that the overall inhabitants could not have entry to vaccination till late summer season and even winter due to constrained provides.

Japan was among the many final main economies to start COVID-19 inoculations when it began in mid-February, after home trials to make sure security.

Solely 0.9% of the Japanese public obtained their first vaccine shot as of Friday, in contrast with 2.5% in South Korea, and 48% in the UK.

Japan’s prime well being consultants have acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic has entered a fourth wave.

Japan has exhibited “poor efficiency” in containing virus transmission, together with restricted testing capability and a sluggish vaccination rollout, in response to a commentary of well being consultants printed within the British Medical Journal on Wednesday.

Tokyo’s Olympics chief mentioned on Friday that Japan was dedicated to holding a protected Video games this summer season, as a surge in COVID-19 instances prompted an enlargement of contagion controls and with contemporary requires the Video games to once more be postponed or canceled.