Japan To Shorten Additional Vaccination Interval To 3 Months
A panel of experts at Japan's health ministry has approved a plan to shorten the interval between the third coronavirus vaccinations and the fourth shots to three months from the current five.
The health ministry is expected to change the minimum interval as early as later this month.
The panel at a meeting on Wednesday confirmed that booster shots increased the level of neutralizing antibodies even at a three-month interval. The experts also agreed that no safety issues were identified.
The decision also comes as the United States and European countries have already set the interval at two or three months.
The booster shots will include vaccines targeting the BA.5 Omicron subvariant that were rolled out earlier this month, and those designed for the BA.1 subvariant, which have been available since September.
The additional jabs will also cover vaccines for earlier strains and other doses by Pfizer and Moderna.
The shortened interval will apply to anyone 12 years or older for Pfizer vaccines. As for Moderna shots, the period will cover people 18 years or older for the BA.1 subvariant and 12 years or older for earlier strains.
Moderna's updated vaccine targeting BA.5, which is awaiting approval, will be available for approved ages.