TOKYO: A panel under the Japanese health ministry’s Pharmaceutical Affairs and Food Sanitation Council on Friday approved US drugmaker Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine.

The ministry plans to formally approve the vaccine on Sunday under an emergency process with simplified screening, with a view to starting vaccinations for a first group of medical workers as early as Wednesday. It will be the first time for a COVID-19 vaccine to be approved in Japan.

In talks with reporters, health minister Norihisa Tamura suggested that the vaccine is effective, saying that the levels of neutralizing antibodies in the bodies of Japanese participants in clinical trials for the Pfizer vaccine were confirmed to have increased after they were given shots of it. The vaccine is important “for protecting the health of citizens,” he said.

Vaccinations are expected to help achieve herd immunity, as well as prevent individuals from being infected with the virus responsible for the COVID-19 disease. Still, it remains uncertain when vaccinations will be available for people other than medical workers and the elderly.

The Pfizer vaccine, produced through messenger RNA synthesis, generates proteins unique to the coronavirus in the bodies of those vaccinated and allows antibodies against the virus to be created inside the body.

In clinical trials by the company, the vaccine’s efficacy rate came to 95 pct. It is believed to rarely cause severe adverse events. Programs to administer the vaccine are underway in the United States and European countries.

In Japan, Pfizer applied to gain approval for the vaccine in December. Late last month, it additionally submitted data on 160 clinical trial participants in the country.

Under a contract with the Japanese government, the company is set to provide a total of 144 million doses, for 72 million people, by the end of the year.

After a problem with syringes came to light, however, it is unclear whether enough vaccine for 72 million people will be secured.

Vaccinations against the novel coronavirus will not be compulsory in Japan. People of 16 or older will be able to receive vaccinations free of charge in the municipalities where they are registered as residents.

Those who have suffered anaphylaxis, a severe life-threatening allergic reaction, from vaccinations in the past will be excluded from the coronavirus vaccination program.

Japan will start COVID-19 vaccinations for 10,000 to 20,000 medical workers of national hospitals and other institutions across the country, with the ministry checking whether any adverse events will occur among them.

About 3.7 million remaining medical workers are expected to begin being vaccinated in mid-March, followed by about 36 million people aged 65 or over from April 1 and then people with underlying conditions.

The first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine, from Belgium, arrived in Japan on Friday morning. The vaccine is kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius.

There are about 10,000 designated medical and other facilities with ultracold freezers. Vaccinations will be conducted at these facilities, as well as other venues.

Japan also has contracts with Britain’s AstraZeneca PLC and Moderna Inc. of the United States, planning to secure supplies of their vaccines for 60 million and 25 million people, respectively. On Feb. 5, AstraZeneca applied for approval for its vaccine in the country.

JIJI Press