Japan To Begin Vaccinating Olympic Athletes On June 1

JAKARTA - Japan's Olympic Committee (JOC) says it will begin vaccinating about 600 Olympic athletes along with about 1,000 coaches and support staff starting June 1, Kyodo News Agency reported Wednesday, May 26.

The JOC would not disclose vaccination schedules for each sports body, but said those traveling abroad would be vaccinated as soon as the end of May at the National Training Center in Tokyo.

Based on an agreement reached between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. earlier this month, a vaccine was available to all Olympic participants.

Voluntary mass vaccination will give Japanese Olympic athletes time to be fully vaccinated before the games begin on July 23.

The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses, usually done with an interval of three weeks. A team of doctors and doctors of the Japan Institute of Sports Sciences have been asked to help deliver vaccine injections.

With two months leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, Japan has fully vaccinated only about 2 percent of its population. The vaccine is currently only available to medical workers and seniors aged 65 and over.