The details, including whether to actually administer the additional booster shots and who would be eligible, will be determined later.
The agreement of the subcommittee members came after the government said it had agreed to procure a total of 145 million vaccine doses from
The subcommittee also approved the administration of third shots of
Fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines are recommended in
The effectiveness of third shots against the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been found to wane over time.
In the meeting, the subcommittee members agreed to the health ministry's proposal to prepare for the administration of fourth shots, aimed at preventing development of the disease or severe symptoms, based on overseas data on their effectiveness and safety.
Under the proposal, the
The interval between third shots and the additional boosters will be a minimum of six months in principle, but the ministry will re-examine the matter after taking into account the situation overseas.
Regarding the administration of the fourth shots, Chief Cabinet Secretary
Matsuno added that the government will make a decision after hearing the views of experts.
==Kyodo
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