Kono Comments On Vaccinations For Schoolchildren
Japan's minister in charge of the coronavirus vaccine rollout has expressed hope that elementary and junior high school students will be vaccinated during their summer break, if they choose to. He added that the education ministry will likely announce its plan on inoculations for schoolchildren in the near future.
Kono Taro appeared on a program from a commercial TV broadcaster on Sunday.
Kono said it is now known that age has little impact on the efficacy or safety of the vaccine.
The minister said he doesn't expect vaccinations to take place during classes, as they will not be mandatory.
But Kono said he hopes students will be vaccinated during the summer holidays if they choose, so that they will be able to attend the second term without worries.
Kono denied that vaccinations could make people infertile. He said the government should provide scientific explanations to refute such misinformation.
The health ministry decided late last month to expand the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in its public inoculation program to include children aged 12 through 15.