Tokyo: A new round of COVID-19 inoculation in Japan began Wednesday, mainly using vaccines that are effective against the XBB.1.5 subvariant of the omicron strain of the novel coronavirus.

The vaccination is available for free to all people aged 6 months or older who have received at least one shot. The round will run through the end of next March, with the vaccination costs covered by public funds.

The vaccines are made by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc., and are available to those aged at least 6 months and at least 6 years, respectively. The single-shot vaccines are given at least three months after the previous shot.

People aged 12 and older are also eligible to receive Novavax Inc.’s recombinant protein vaccine.

Those aged 6 months or older who have never received a COVID-19 shot before can get vaccinated under a different program from the new round.

The health ministry is actively urging vaccinations only for people at high risk of becoming seriously ill, such as those aged 65 or older, as currently dominant omicron variants tend not to cause severe symptoms.

COVID-19 inoculations for the current fiscal year began in May, covering chiefly those aged 65 or older and those with underlying conditions.

The coverage of the vaccination costs with public funds is set to expire at the March 31 end of fiscal 2023. From fiscal 2024, the health ministry is considering making COVID-19 shots available once a year to only those including the elderly.

At a clinic in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, vaccinations under the new round began around 9 a.m. Wednesday, and five people received the Pfizer vaccine in about an hour.

“I got inoculated so that I don’t get severe symptoms,” a 69-year-old woman from the ward, who received her seventh shot, said. “I am no longer worried.”

On the fact that people will have to pay for COVID-19 vaccinations at their own expense from April 2024, the woman said, “If it helps prevent infection, I want to get a shot even if it costs several thousand yen.”

“We want people at high risk of developing severe symptoms, including the elderly and those having underlying conditions, to consider getting vaccinated,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said of the start of the new COVID-19 vaccination round.

“Regarding the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines, the government will continue issuing accurate information based on scientific evidence in an easy-to-understand way,” the top government spokesperson said at a press conference.

JIJI Press