Japan has approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for its booster shot program that was started this month.

The move came after the health ministry experts recommended that Moderna’s vaccine could be used as a booster dose for individuals aged 18 years or above. Till now, the vaccine was used mostly at workplace vaccination sites. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been given out nearly 71,000 times as a booster dose thus far, which translates to 0.1% of the population.

Japan has fully vaccinated around 80% of its population. New COVID-19 cases in the country have dropped considerably since a fifth wave that reached a peak in August… (Reuters, December 16, 2021)