Photo/Illutration A person receives a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Tokyo. (Tatsuya Shimada)

As the March deadline looms, a panel of experts advising the health ministry appears to be in favor of keeping the COVID-19 vaccination program free to the public.

Local government officials who attended the panel’s Dec. 13 meeting asked that the government continuing paying for the shots, saying time would be needed to prepare for any changes in the program.

Their pleas prompted panel members to acknowledge that it would be difficult to start charging residents for COVID-19 vaccines in the near future.

The COVID-19 vaccinations are considered temporary under the Immunization Law. Such designations are made when there is an urgent need to stop the spread of infections.

COVID-19 has been covered by the temporary vaccinations with the deadline twice extended. The next deadline is at the end of March.

One local government official at the Dec. 13 meeting said local governments are already preparing budgets and personnel setups for the next fiscal year that starts in April. Dealing with changes in the vaccine program would add a considerable burden, the official said.

Another local official said vaccinations for children 4 and younger had only begun in October, and some children would be unable to receive the required three jabs by the end of March.

The panel is also discussing calls to reclassify COVID-19 under the infectious diseases law.

It is now designated as a Class II infectious disease, which allows for strict measures to be taken, such as recommending that patients be hospitalized.

However, if COVID-19 is downgraded to a Class V infectious disease, which includes the seasonal flu, it would lose the need for a temporary vaccination.

Since the Omicron variant has become the dominant strain of the novel coronavirus, government officials have been reluctant to continue with strong anti-virus measures.

A council under the Finance Ministry in November suggested holding discussions on whether to cover COVID-19 by routine vaccinations, given the lower likelihood of patients developing serious symptoms.

Public subsidies cover many routine vaccinations, making them generally free, but there are some, such as flu shots, for which the patient must pay.

Some health ministry officials have raised concerns that fewer people would get the COVID-19 shots if they must pay for them.

Experts said the need for COVID-19 vaccinations will continue as the number of infections remains high and immunity will diminish.

The health ministry has still not decided on a COVID-19 vaccination policy for dealing with the Omicron variant.

Ministry documents show that government officials in the United States and Israel, for example, now say COVID-19 vaccinations are needed only once a year. No international consensus has emerged over that option, however.

Ministry officials will continue to check statistics from abroad, as well as reports about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

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