Japanese Prime Minister Gets Injected With The COVID-19 Vaccine Before Meeting Joe Biden: It Doesn't Hurt

PM Jepang Yoshihide Suga (Wikimedia Commons / Cabinet Public Relations Office)

JAKARTA - Japanese Prime Minister (PM) Yoshihide Suga received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday 16 March. PM Suga became the first government official to be publicly vaccinated.

In addition, this vaccination is also carried out before he meets the President of the United States Joe Biden next month. Apart from PM Suga, a number of other officials also received the COVID-19 vaccine.

It is planned that PM Suga with about 80 to 90 Japanese officials before leaving for the United States next month. PM Suga will be the first world leader to visit President Biden after his January 20 inauguration.

"It doesn't hurt", Suga told reporters receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. A doctor examined his eyes and throat before receiving an injection in his left arm.

Japan started a COVID-19 vaccination campaign last month. The vaccine used is an imported vaccine from Pfizer Inc BioNTech.

Separately, Taro Kono, the minister in charge of Japan's vaccine efforts, said that Japan is focused on providing vaccines to health workers and those over 65 years of age.

Kono said Japan's Emperor Naruhito, who is only 61 years old, will have to wait for his turn. Meanwhile, the father of the former emperor Akihito (87) is in the first priority group.

PM Suga promised to provide sufficient doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the country's 126 million people, by June, before the Tokyo Olympics start on July 23.

Japan has given at least one shot of the vaccine to more than 290.000 people as of Monday. Meanwhile, vaccine supplies have flowed from Pfizer's factories in Europe, and are expected to increase in the coming months.