The Japan Government plans to provide COVID-19 vaccinations free of charge to all of its citizens.
The government is set to shoulder all costs by the end of June next year when sufficient when the vaccine will be available in sufficient quantities. The plan to provide free COVID-19 vaccinations could be unveiled at a meeting of a health ministry advisory panel next week, The Japan Times reported today, citing its sources.
Japan will spend ¥670 billion ($6.34 billion) from its reserve funds under fiscal 2020 supplementary budget to secure COVID-19 vaccines.
Japan will spend ¥670 billion ($6.34 billion) from its reserve funds under fiscal 2020 supplementary budget to secure COVID-19 vaccines.
The government has already signed basic agreements to get vaccine supplies from U.S. and British drugmakers. In August, it said it will buy 120 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE. Another contract for 120 million doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s AZD1222 experimental vaccine was also signed. The AZD1222 is under development in partnership with the University of Oxford.
“The government is now preparing systems necessary for providing COVID-19 vaccinations on the assumption that the vaccines may become available at the end of this year at the earliest,” the sources said.
The country has previously hinted at adopting a policy of giving first priority for coronavirus vaccinations to medical workers, elderly people and those with underlying conditions. The government also plans to earmark additional funds in its draft budget for fiscal 2021, which starts in April next year, to secure more vaccines. It will then consider whether to continue free vaccinations.
Additionally, the government also hopes to prepare for possible simultaneous outbreaks of coronavirus and seasonal influenza.
