TOKYO: Japanese economic revitalization minister Daishiro Yamagiwa on Sunday called on young people to get their third shots of novel coronavirus vaccines as new infection cases are surging in the country in the so-called seventh wave.

“Nearly 70 pct of the young people eligible for the third shots have not been boosted yet,” Yamagiwa, who is in charge of the government’s COVID-19 measures, said in a television program.

“I want them to get boosted if they can to protect the whole community,” he added.

Yamagiwa sounded negative about imposing movement restrictions.

The probability of the currently dominant BA.5 omicron subvariant causing severe symptoms is almost the same as those of previous variants, he noted.

“We aim to maintain economic and social activities through effective use of vaccines and testing without putting movement restrictions in place,” the minister said.

On the possibility of introducing intensive COVID-19 measures under a state of pre-emergency in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, where new cases are soaring, Yamagiwa said: “Such measures would be very effective when places of infection are limited. I don’t think they are effective at a time when infections are spreading across society.”

Shigeru Omi, who heads the government’s COVID-19 response task force, expressed concern over the growing strain on the medical system.

“People really in need of treatment and hospitalization have been unable to access medical services,” he said in the TV program.

COVID-19 patients should rest at home if their symptoms are mild, Omi said, adding that the government was slow to beef up the country’s coronavirus testing system.

JIJI Press