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S THE OLYMPIC torch passed through Hiroshima this week, organisers kept the relay away from the streets. A torch-lighting ceremony took place without spectators. Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (
IOC), cancelled a planned visit. Hiroshima, along with Tokyo, the host city, and seven other prefectures, is under a state of emergency amid a fourth wave of covid-19.
The event underlined the contortions required to host a global sporting extravaganza during a pandemic. Japan has so far avoided explosive outbreaks of the virus, with fewer than 12,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic, thanks in part to stringent border controls in place since last spring. But more than two-thirds of those fatalities have come this year. The latest wave, fuelled by more infectious variants of the virus, has strained regional health systems, while vaccinations have been slow to flow. The Olympics are scheduled to kick off in two months. About 15,000 athletes and per
Backstories What are the side-effects of the Pfizer vaccine?
This is part 81 of our coronavirus FAQ. Click here to read other installments: #Coronavirus the facts. Find the latest information and answers from experts on everything COVID-19.
Side-effects
Typical side-effects from vaccines include fever and swelling around the injection site. According to Dr. Taniguchi Kiyosu, the head of the clinical research department at the National Mie Hospital, these symptoms indicate that the vaccine is working.
Japan is using the Pfizer vaccine for its coronavirus inoculation program. According to a weekly report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the roughly 815,000 people who had received a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine as of January 13, nearly 73% experienced pain in the site of injection. Other side-effects include: fatigue (21.9%), headache (17.5%), muscle pain (14.7%), swelling (6.2%), fever (5.8%), chills (5.5%), joint pain (5.3%), an
No flu outbreak reported this season The number of patients with seasonal flu in Japan was below 100 during the first seven days of February. That s far below the levels seen before.
The health ministry says this is the first time an influenza outbreak has not been reported at this time of year since the present survey method was introduced in 1999.
The National Institute of Infectious Diseases and others say about 5,000 designated medical institutions around the country reported a total of 98 influenza cases in the week through February 7. The figure is up by 34 from the week earlier.
The cases were reported in Tokyo and 20 other prefectures, or less than half of Japan s prefectures.