15 - Minute Monitoring After Covid Vaccination
Japan's health ministry will ask municipal governments to monitor the condition of people who receive COVID-19 vaccinations for at least 15 minutes after the shot.
The decision was made on Monday at a meeting of experts advising the ministry.
According to the ministry, as of January 18, one in 200,000 inoculations with the Pfizer vaccine in the United States had caused a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. In 90 percent of the cases, the reaction occurred within 30 minutes.
In response to the findings, the ministry will request observation of at least 15 minutes for people in general, and 30 minutes for people who have had a severe allergic reaction in the past.
Emergency treatment will be immediately provided to people showing symptoms of anaphylaxis.
The ministry also decided that people 16 years of age and above, except for pregnant women, will be required to make efforts to get a shot.
Pregnant women will be asked to consult with their doctors about inoculation, because of the lack of domestic and international test data regarding the vaccine's impact on fetuses and mothers.
The ministry received approval from experts on these vaccination policies. It will notify municipal governments of the policies on Tuesday.