Japanese minors under the age of 12 likely to be jabbed in middle of spring

Japanese minors under the age of 12 may start receiving COVID-19 shots in the middle of spring once approved by the Health Ministry, the Minister in charge of vaccination rollout, Noriko Horiuchi, said on Tuesday.

"The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is expected to consider the issue. The vaccination, if approved, will start after March," Horiuchi said as cited by Japanese Kyodo news agency.

Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the Government plans to start vaccination of minors under the age of 12 as soon as the healthcare ministry grants approval.

The measure will help to slow down the spread of Omicron strain, according to Kishida.

Last November, Pfizer and BioNTech applied to the Japanese ministry for approval to use their COVID-19 vaccines for minors from 5 to 11 years old.

(ANI/Sputnik)