[Japan will start preparations to administer fourth doses of coronavirus vaccines, a health ministry subcommittee agreed Thursday. (Photo by=KYODO)]

TOKYO: Japan will start preparations for the administration of fourth shots of coronavirus vaccines, a health ministry subcommittee agreed Thursday, after the government said it would procure additional doses from two U.S. pharmaceutical companies, Kyodo reported.
 
The details, including whether to actually administer the additional booster shots and who would be eligible, will be determined later. The agreement of the subcommittee members came after the government said it had agreed to procure a total of 145 million vaccine doses from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. to prepare for the rollout of fourth shots. The subcommittee also approved the administration of third shots of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to children aged between 12 and 17, with vaccinations expected to begin as early as next month. Fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines are recommended in Israel and Britain, with recipients limited to medical staff and individuals at high risk of developing severe symptoms.
 
Meanwhile, vaccinations for the coronavirus are currently free under the government's immunization law, but some members said fourth shots should be handled differently due to their nature, appearing to suggest that they be administered for a fee. According to government data released Thursday, currently over 46 million people in Japan, or 37 percent of the country's population, have received their third vaccine dose.