Japan discarding 240 mil. COVID vaccine doses, transitioning to new vaccine copays system

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

 

 

TOKYO -- The health ministry on April 16 revealed that approximately 244.15 million doses of unused COVID-19 vaccines -- with a calculated purchase price of around 665.3 billion yen (roughly $4.3 billion) -- were being discarded in Japan.

...

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, it contracted the purchase of approximately 928.4 million coronavirus vaccine doses. Of these, 436.19 million shots were given out in Japan by the end of March. Some of the remaining doses were provided to other countries and regions, but the government decided to discard the rest.

...

As Japan lacked a research base for developing messenger RNA vaccines, [Health minister Keizo Takemi] pointed out, "We were in a rather dismal state of affairs where we couldn't produce them no matter how much money we might have spent." He added, "That was the biggest lesson we learned this time."

 

(more)

 

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240417/p2a/00m/0na/006000c

 

 

COVID vaccine copay in Japan to cost almost $50 from April with gov't subsidies

TOKYO -- The Japanese health ministry announced on March 15 that from April it will subsidize municipalities for the routine coronavirus inoculation for over 65s and those aged between 60 and 64 with preexisting conditions so that the copayment will be around 7,000 yen each (about $47).

...

The COVID-19 vaccine is available free of charge until the end of March, and from April it will become a routine inoculation, scheduled to be given once a year from fall to winter. On the other hand, vaccinations for healthy people under the age of 65 will be treated as "voluntary" from April onward, with the full cost to be borne by the individual. The central government subsidy will not be applied, and the cost is expected to vary depending on the medical institution.

 

The national government will provide subsidies to municipalities so that people with low incomes, such as welfare recipients, can receive vaccinations for free.

 

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240319/p2a/00m/0li/001000c

 

[stoner]

3 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

TOKYO -- The health ministry on April 16 revealed that approximately 244.15 million doses of unused COVID-19 vaccines -- with a calculated purchase price of around 665.3 billion yen (roughly $4.3 billion) -- were being discarded in Japan.

what a great use of human resources.