The Japanese government plans to open large vaccination centers in Tokyo and Osaka in the coming weeks, trying to speed up the vaccination process, local media reported on Sunday.
The Nikkei newspaper said on Sunday that the government would open a vaccination center in central Tokyo as early as May, which would be able to vaccinate about 10,000 people a day.
The center could be open to anyone living and working in Tokyo, the publication said, adding that medically trained personnel from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces would also assist in vaccinations at such centers.
Although Japan has avoided the explosive spread of the virus in many countries, the government has been sharply criticized for its sluggish spread of vaccination, which has been largely fought by municipal authorities. Only about 1% of its population has been vaccinated, according to the Reuters tracker.
The recent outbreak of infections caused by the spread of the variant has also been alarming, and there is a critical shortage of medical staff and hospital beds in some areas.
Japan only began vaccinating its large elderly population this month, and health experts say it may take most of the population to winter or longer to access the images.
Health Minister Norihis Tamura said on Sunday that if the government could provide enough vaccines to vaccinate the elderly by the end of July, vaccination for people under 65 could begin this month, according to a Kyodo report.
Japan’s third state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures began on Sunday, affecting nearly a quarter of the population as the country struggles to deal with the surge three months before the Tokyo Olympics.
To date, there have been about 550,000 cases and 9,761 deaths in Japan.