Japan Approves Moderna, AstraZeneca Coronavirus Vaccines

The vaccine rollout in Japan has been slow and the country is battling a COVID-19 surge just two months before the summer Olympics is scheduled to begin in Tokyo.

Japan on Friday approved the Moderna and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines for use in adults as the country looks to speed up its vaccination efforts.

Previously, only the Pfizer vaccine had been approved in Japan, where the rollout of inoculations has been extremely slow. Approximately 6% of the country's total population has received either their first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, according to figures reported by the government.

Vaccination campaigns have been slowed by strict rules that only allow nurses and doctors to administer the shots. Currently, only health care workers and those aged 65 years and older are receiving vaccinations.

The government is opening two large-scale vaccination centers in Tokyo and Osaka next week in hopes of speeding up inoculations.

While people 18 and older will be able to receive Moderna's vaccine, the Japanese government has decided to not use AstraZeneca's vaccine yet due to the possibility of very rare side effects.

Moderna said in a press release that distribution of its COVID-19 vaccine will begin in Japan immediately.

Japan is currently battling a fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, just two months before the summer Olympics is slated to begin in Tokyo. The city and eight other prefectures are currently under states of emergency until at least the end of the month.

The country reported 5,711 new positive domestic cases in the last day and 106 deaths.