MHLW (Japan) approves use of Comirnaty and Spikevax boosters
MHLW (Japan) approves use of Comirnaty and Spikevax boosters to people 60 years of age or older and those aged 18 with pre-existing medical conditions.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) approves the use of Pfizer’s Comirnaty and Moderna/Takeda Pharmaceutical’s Spikevax for fourth inoculations.
An interval between the third and fourth doses was set at “at least five months.”
Japan is giving second COVID-19 boosters, or fourth inoculations, to people 60 years of age or older, and those aged 18 or older who have preexisting medical conditions or other risk factors for severe disease. The government aims for a rollout by the end of May.
Only those aged 60 and older will be subject to legal obligations to make their “best efforts” to get the fourth shots. The MHLW presented its plan to incorporate the fourth dose to the emergency program for the prevention of severe COVID-19 based on evidence such as 1) the duration of vaccine efficacy after third inoculations, 2) findings so far on the efficacy and safety of fourth inoculations, and 3) measures taken in other countries. The ministry then proposed that the second-booster program cover 1) people aged 60 and older, and 2) people aged 18 or older who have preexisting medical conditions or who are deemed by physicians to have high risks of progressing to severe disease. The panel approved these proposals.
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