Japan mulls creating waiting lists for COVID-19 vaccine: minister
Japan is considering introducing waiting lists for COVID-19 vaccinations to avoid waste, the minister in charge of inoculation effort said Sunday as the country prepares to expand the program's scope.
"We should prioritize not wasting vaccines, rather than sticking to the priority order" of inoculation, when scheduled vaccinations are canceled at the last minute, administrative and regulatory reform minister Taro Kono said on an evening TV program.
Kono indicated the central government will call on municipalities tasked with administering shots to come up with waiting list systems.
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Last week, Japan launched its initial phase of inoculation for 40,000 health care workers with a vaccine developed by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE.