Japan to Buy Additional 10 M. Doses of Pfizer Vaccine

Tokyo, Feb. 14 (Jiji Press)--Japan's health ministry said Monday that it has agreed with U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc. to buy an extra 10 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine.

With the additional doses, set to arrive in Japan by March, the Japanese government hopes to accelerate efforts to administer third COVID-19 vaccine shots to people.

According to the ministry, Japan will now import a total of 130 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine this year, including those for children.

The ministry also agreed with Pfizer to receive 6 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine earlier than initially scheduled to inoculate people aged 12 or over. The doses will be imported also by March.

Japan allows mix-and-match vaccinations. People inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine for their first and second shots, however, tend to shy away from receiving the vaccine made by U.S. biotechnology startup Moderna Inc. for their third shots.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]