Coronavirus: Japan overtakes US on first vaccinations; Australia trials face recognition tech to enforce quarantine

Name: ‘Shots while chasing jackpots’: pachinko parlour becomes vaccine centre in Japanese city of Osaka
Uploaded: 2021-09-16T09:49:17.000Z
Duration: 58 s
Description: ‘Shots while chasing jackpots’: pachinko parlour becomes vaccine centre in Japanese city of Osaka

Japan’s progress means that the US now ranks last among G7 nations by proportion of population who have received at least one vaccine dose

Elsewhere, Langkawi became the first Malaysian island to reopen to tourists on Thursday, and Indonesia is easing visa rules for vaccinated foreigners

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A health worker administers a dose of Covid-19 vaccine to a person in a pachinko arcade in Osaka on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Agencies

Published: 5:49pm, 16 Sep 2021Updated: 10:29pm, 16 Sep 2021

Japan has given first doses of Covid-19 vaccine to 63.6 per cent of its population, surpassing the US by proportion of people who have had at least one shot – despite starting months behind.

The East Asian nation’s progress now puts the United States last among G7 nations when it comes to the proportion of the population who have had at least one dose, after vaccine hesitancy squandered the country’s head start. About 63.1 per cent of the US has had at least their first shot, and 53.8 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Japan has administered a total of 145.8 million shots, and over 51 per cent of its population is fully vaccinated, according to government figures released on Tuesday.

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‘Shots while chasing jackpots’: pachinko parlour becomes vaccine centre in Japanese city of Osaka

The vaccination roll-out in Japan started off slow and late compared to other developed nations, but has progressed quickly since early summer. Japan hit a million shots administered per day in mid-June, and has stuck around that pace since then while battling a wave of infections driven by the predominance of the Delta variant. The US, meanwhile, got a head start but has not been able to maintain pace.

Japan’s vaccinated population is concentrated among its elderly, who were initially prioritised. Near 90 per cent of those 65 or older have had both jabs. The country is still rushing to inoculate younger people, who have been most affected in the most recent and worst-yet wave of infections.

As shots in Japan are still being delivered at a brisk pace, it is too early to tell how much hesitancy may affect the vaccination programme in the country, which has a testy history with vaccines.

Some countries, including the US, have seen vaccinations stall as the issue becomes politicised or because of the influence of anti-vaccine fringe groups. Last week, US President Joe Biden announced a vaccine mandate for all federal employees, health care workers and employees at large companies in an effort to boost the number of vaccinated Americans.