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The media are reporting that the mass vaccination could be completed in June, as public resistance to the Games increases.
Japan aims to begin vaccinating the general public against the coronavirus in May, just two months before the delayed Olympics begin, as more questions arise about whether the event will take place this year.
The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said the government expected most adults to be vaccinated in July, when the Games are due to start.
About 10,000 medical workers will be first in line for the free vaccination, and the program will begin next month, senior government officials said, followed by 50 million people at risk, including those with underlying conditions and those over 65.
Ministers hope to begin mass vaccination in May at the earliest, Yomiuri and Sankei Shimbun newspapers reported, citing unidentified government sources.
The Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony is in six months, but a surge in COVID-19 infections in Japan and around the world has cast new questions about the event.
Public support for the Olympics has plummeted, with more than 80 percent of people surveyed recently in Japan saying it should be canceled or postponed again.
Top sports officials have also joined those questioning whether the games will go ahead given the increase in coronavirus cases from America to Europe.
Keith Mills, who was vice chairman of the London 2012 organizing committee, said that “looking at the pandemic around the world” it seemed “unlikely” that the games could continue as planned.
“If I were in the shoes of the organizing committee in Tokyo, and fortunately I am not, I would be making plans for a cancellation,” Mills told the BBC.
“I’m sure they have plans for a cancellation, but I think they will absolutely leave it to the last minute in case the situation drastically improves and in case the vaccines roll out faster.
“It is a difficult decision and I would not like to be in his place.”
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga promised on Monday that preparations for the event would continue despite growing public opposition and an increase in coronavirus cases.
Sebastian Coe, director of World Athletics, who was the chair of the 2012 organizing committee, told Sky News that he did not believe the Games would be canceled and endorsed Japan.
“Of all the countries on the planet that really have the strength, the resilience and the street smarts to pull this off, it’s actually Japan,” he said.
“I wake up as president of a federation really grateful that it is Japan that is taking care of this and not other places I can think of. So I’m sure we’ll be there. “
Organizers have adapted the event to take into account the spread of the virus, limiting the time athletes spend in the athletes’ country and village, as well as the number of people who can attend the opening and closing ceremonies.
They have said that the Games can continue even without vaccines.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said that he will be among the first to be vaccinated in Japan, in an attempt to increase public confidence in the jab.
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