Japan's Education Ministry Advises Against Mass In-School COVID-19 Vaccination - Reports

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2021) The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, sports, Science and Technology will not recommend carrying out mass in-school vaccinations against the coronavirus for junior and high school students, national media reported on Tuesday.

The recommendation comes as the government is considering allowing vaccinations for students over 12 years old in schools that are located in prefectures with difficult epidemiological situation. In this case, parental consent will be required for vaccination.

The authorities instead encourage the students to be vaccinated individually in hospitals, the Kyodo news agency reported, adding that the relevant notice was sent to education boards across the country on Tuesday.

Japan began vaccine rollout on February 17. The first phase covered 4.7 million health care workers. Starting from April 12, the country began administering shots to those over 65 years old, with some 36 million seniors expected to be vaccinated during this stage. On Monday, workplaces and universities across Japan started their own vaccination programs. The national campaign has been criticized for its slow pace.