COVID-19: Autumn vaccination

Posted on September 21, 2023

“Autumn Vaccination” for Omicron “XBB.1.5” Starts
Free “autumn vaccination” with the new COVID-19 vaccine for all ages will begin on March 20.

The “autumn vaccination” of the new COVID-19 vaccine, which will be given from the 20th to next March 2024, is available free of charge to all persons aged 6 months and older who wish to receive it.

A new vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna, which has been improved to be effective against the XBB.1.5 strain, a type of Omicron strain, will be used.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has decided to end the free “special temporary vaccination” program, the full cost of which will be covered by public funds starting April 2024.

In addition, with the start of the “fall inoculation,” the MHLW has announced that it plans to gradually discard the 86.3 million doses of the “conventional strain” and other vaccines used in previous inoculations, beginning with those that have reached their expiration date.