Forty-three of Japan's 47 prefectural capitals, or 91.5%, will finish their initial two-dose COVID-19 vaccine rollout by the end of this month, a Kyodo News survey showed Saturday, as local governments prepare to move onto the next phase of the inoculation program.
A health ministry panel has approved the administration of booster shots of U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine to people aged 18 and over, starting with medical personnel from December.
According to a government tally released Friday, 94.58 million people, or 74.7%, of the nation's population of around 125 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with almost 100 million having received at least one dose.