TOKYO, Jun 9 (NNN-NHK) – A large COVID-19 vaccination centre, opened yesterday in Tokyo, at the closed site of Tsukiji fish market, dedicated to initially administering vaccinations to police officers and firefighters.
The temporary vaccination site, set to be used as a transportation hub, during the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and thus only available until the end of Jun, will administer Moderna Inc’s vaccine to 5,000 people a day, according to the government’s plans.
By the end of June, the government said, it hopes that 110,000 people will be inoculated, giving a boost to the country’s vaccination drive, that has been criticized for its sluggishness compared to other advanced nations.
The local government said, following police officers and firefighters, the site will open its doors for volunteer firefighters, acupuncturists, osteopaths and people aged 64 or younger, to also be vaccinated.
Tokyo Governor, Yuriko Koike, told a press briefing on the matter that the metropolitan government will “further improve the running of the Tsukiji vaccination site, to increase the efficiency of the inoculation campaign.”
“Together with the inoculation programme implemented by local governments, we will make utmost efforts so that more people can receive vaccinations as soon as possible,” Chief Cabinet Secretary, Katsunobu Kato, said.
He was referring to workplaces and universities’ plans to double-up as vaccination centres henceforth.
The Tokyo metropolitan government, in addition, is also planning to open its next mass vaccination site at Yoyogi Park, in central Tokyo.– NNN-NHK
