The Japanese government is likely to maintain the current state of emergency in order to ensure the smooth rollout of coronavirus vaccinations.
The number of new infections in Japan is on the decline and the medical care system is gradually improving. However, the tempo of decline has been slowing and the number of cases in which infection routes cannot be traced stays flat or barely larger.
Economic Revitalization Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi, who’s in charge of coronavirus response, urged on Wednesday that there is a need to lower the strain on medical workers as much as possible as they must deal with the coronavirus, ordinary medical services, and vaccinations.
Regarding the state of emergency, discussions are anticipated to happen at an expert panel meeting at the health ministry on Thursday.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide plans to observe vaccinations on Thursday in Tokyo, following the beginning of inoculations on Wednesday.
The government says it will make every effort to consolidate the system to promote vaccinations, providing any information including side effects the vaccine may trigger.
