Message from the Mayor about COVID-19 vaccine booster appointments, children’s vaccinations（2022.02.10）

To begin, I would like to mention the status of appointments being made to get booster vaccinations, but because we are not yet at the stage to fully compile total numbers, we cannot give an overview of current reservation numbers and Moderna vaccine supply.

In terms of reservations, here are the proportions of how residents are making reservations, and you can see that more and more people are making appointments via the dedicated website, which is a quick and easy method. Relatively fewer appointments are being made via the call center. Appointments may also be made at ward offices and post offices, and we think this method is used by a small number of people who cannot use the internet and tend to make their reservations within a day or two of receiving their vaccine vouchers. Therefore, this data reflects the number of people who made reservations early, so I believe we will need to wait a little longer for a more representative breakdown. We are sharing this for your reference, but I believe the current data reflects this bias.

We have slightly moved up the timeframe for booster vaccinations. The numbers in yellow indicate how the dates will be moved up based on the timing of the second vaccination and when vouchers will be sent out, as well as the eligible number of residents. For example, looking at the top row on the graph to the right, we will be distributing vouchers starting February 14 to those who were vaccinated between July 3 and July 16 last year. Even before that, we have already distributed vouchers to hundreds of thousands of residents over the age of 65, and we are checking if any eligible vouchers have yet to be distributed. Appointments can be made as soon as you receive a voucher, so for example, if you are in the group whose vouchers will be sent out on February 14, and if you were to get them the next day on the 15th, Yokohama residents could make an appointment that same day for a booster, potentially as soon as the next day or the day after. The rightmost column shows how many months have passed since the second vaccination.

Residents 65 years or older who received their first vaccination in early June last year and their second in early July are being sent a voucher after 7.2 months on average. The distribution time for this group exceeds seven months, but the average time for the groups after that is closer to six months. While the population numbers of 281 and 302 thousand are quite high, it took six months for the vaccine to be approved for use, and we are making the vaccine available in just a little over six months. That is the situation regarding vaccinations for elderly residents 65 and older.

This next graph shows the numbers and planned schedule for residents 64 years old and younger. There are 210 thousand residents in this age group who received their first vaccination in late July and the second between July 14 and August 3, and we are sending vouchers to these residents, once about 7.1 months on average have passed since their last shot. After that initial distribution, we should be able to make the booster available to other residents in a little over six months since their second shot. Appointments can be made as soon as you receive your voucher.

We will present this kind of data to residents and provide information on when they will receive their booster vouchers and how long they can expect to wait after the date of their second dose. We will continue to do this to keep residents informed about the booster vaccination.

Second, we have decided to give priority to vaccinations for essential worker staff and employees of child welfare facilities. We have approved vaccinations for those workers for whom it has been over six months since their second shot even without vouchers. Yokohama City school teachers and faculty as well as nursery school staff and other child welfare facilities are eligible. We have approved priority vaccinations for staff at kindergartens, certified childcare centers, after-school children’s clubs, and after-school daycare services. In total, about 20 thousand municipal schoolteachers and staff, along with about 40 thousand child welfare facility employees, means that between 60 and 70 thousand personnel are eligible.

This group was also approved for priority vaccination for their first and second shots, but because vaccinations started somewhat late, I believe the number of people who whom it has already been six months is relatively low. However, the VRS does not compile data on occupation, so for these tens of thousands of eligible workers, we do not know exactly if it has been 6 or 7 months since their last shot. Still, based on the timing of vaccinations last year, we estimate that it is probably a little over 20 thousand. Of these, 10 thousand can be vaccinated between February 16 and March 16 without needing a voucher. Also, as I have previously remarked, the DeNA venue will provide vaccinations to about 10 thousand people, and by mid-March we expect to be able to vaccinate between 20 and 30 thousand residents.

Vouchers will be sent out by mid-March, but by then, vouchers will begin to be sent out once six months have passed since your last vaccination. It will have been more than six months for some residents since their last shot when they get their voucher (6.4 months, for example), so we are working to provide vaccinations for them before mid-March, as close to six months as possible, to avoid any unnecessary delay, as well as working with DeNA to increase how many vaccinations can be provided. After March 16, vouchers will be sent out at the six-month mark, so we do not expect any significant further delays.

The third topic is about the plan for children’s vaccinations.

On January 21, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued an administrative notice to local governments to prepare a system for children’s vaccinations. A national subcommittee will determine the exact form this measure for children’s vaccinations will take under the Immunization Act. Still, we decided that it would be a good idea to share the plan for children’s vaccinations so that we have preparations in place once the official order is issued from the national government.

In total, about 210 thousand children between the ages of 5 and 11 will be eligible. Vaccinations using the approved Pfizer vaccine will begin on March 7. However, this Pfizer vaccine differs from the one for adults in terms of dosage and ingredients, so it will be supplied solely as a children’s vaccine.

This vaccine will generally be provided through individual vaccinations. Vaccinations will be available at 335 facilities around the city, mainly at pediatricians. There are currently no plans for mass vaccination venues, but plans may be considered depending on how the situation develops.
Vouchers for children’s vaccinations will start being sent out on March 4. Vouchers will be sent out all at once, so residents with children between the ages of 5 and 11 should receive them within the following week. Once the vouchers have arrived, we will give priority to children with underlying conditions through March 18. After that, vaccinations will be conducted in order based on age groups.

We plan to list the participating health care facilities on the city website by early March. Appointments can be made directly with the facility via their websites or by phone.

These children’s vaccinations require the consent of their parental or guardian, and they will be given guidance on the benefits and potential risks before being asked to confirm their consent on the day of the vaccination. We will endeavor to provide timely updates to keep residents informed on these topics.

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