By SHUICHI DOI/ Staff Writer
March 19, 2021 at 16:45 JST
A vial of COVID-19 vaccine and syringes in March (Pool)
People with serious mental or intellectual disabilities will be prioritized to get vaccinations against COVID-19, the health ministry's expert panel decided on March 18.
But patients must be hospitalized with a mental disability or possess a mental or intellectual disability certificate to get on the list.
In December, the panel refrained from including people with mental or intellectual disabilities on its priority list for vaccinations.
But the panel changed its mind after countries other than Japan reported that such people who contract the novel coronavirus are at higher risk of dying or being hospitalized.
Related domestic academic societies also requested the health ministry add people with mental or intellectual disabilities to the list.
Their addition to the list will add about 2.1 million people to the number of people with underlying conditions eligible for priority vaccinations and raise the estimated number of 8.2 million such people to 10.3 million, according to the health ministry.
Priority vaccinations will be administered to medical personnel first, followed by the elderly and then people with underlying conditions or nursing home staff.
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