The government will reopen mass vaccination centers run by the Self-Defense Forces in
By reopening the centers, which were set up in the two cities last year and administered a combined 1.96 million shots to those aged 16 or older, the government aims to give third shots to senior citizens at a faster pace and begin the booster program for others in March, earlier than previously planned, Kishida told reporters.
The government will use 18 million additional doses of
As for inoculating children under 12 years old, the government will proceed with the necessary approval steps to administer it to those who wish to receive the shots.
"Many young people and children have contracted the Omicron variant. I recommend that youth aged 12 or older who have yet to get vaccinated do so," Kishida said, referring to an analysis that finds there is a high chance of older people developing severe symptoms if the highly contagious variant spreads rapidly.
In the southern island prefecture of
In
The vaccination steps, announced along with plans to further extend an entry ban on nonresident foreigners until the end of February, are part of government efforts to strengthen countermeasures against the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Only about 870,000 people, or 0.7 percent of
As for school entrance exams to be held ahead of the new academic year in April, Kishida called for securing examinees' opportunities to take tests.
"I would like to seek flexible responses, such as allowing enrollment after April," he said. Chief Cabinet Secretary
Kishida also said some 16,000 medical institutions in
He said the government will consider applying revisions to criteria for hospitalization for people infected with the Omicron variant to secure hospital beds.
The nationwide tally of COVID-19 infections topped 6,300 Tuesday, up more than fivefold from a week earlier.
The figure follows a four-month high of over 8,400 on Saturday, which marked an increase of over 10 times from the previous week.
On Sunday, quasi-emergency measures took effect in three Japanese prefectures hosting or neighboring
The government will dispatch 10 SDF nurses to health care facilities in
Medical facilities in
==Kyodo
© Kyodo News International, Inc., source