All Nippon Airways Co. on Sunday began its COVID-19 vaccination program for employees at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, moving up the original schedule by more than a week.
The major airline is believed to be the first among Japanese firms to have started workplace vaccinations for staff since the government unveiled a plan to allow companies and universities to administer COVID-19 shots on site from June 21.
The plan was announced earlier this month as Japan looks to accelerate the pace of its daily coronavirus vaccinations and expand eligibility to younger people.
Japan’s vaccination rollout was launched in February for health care workers and widened to people aged 65 or older in April, but with the opening of the Tokyo Olympics only 40 days away, its vaccination rate remains low compared with other industrialized countries.
ANA Holdings Inc., the parent of the Japanese airline, which had initially sought to begin on-site vaccinations on June 21, managed to bring forward the plan in cooperation with the government. Japan Airlines Co. plans to begin inoculations at the Tokyo airport on Monday.
To begin with, ANA said it will focus on vaccinating about 10,000 employees, mainly pilots and flight attendants working on international routes.
ANA will vaccinate about 300 people per day at a meeting room next to its clinic at the airport and seek to increase the number step by step. It said about 46,500 employees are eligible for the program.
JAL is also planning to provide COVID-19 shots, beginning with international aircrew and eventually offering them to a total of 36,000 employees of its group companies.
The government, facing criticism for the country’s slow vaccination rollout, hopes that the new on-site program will supplement existing efforts being led by municipalities across the country.
As of 5 p.m. Friday, the government accepted applications from companies and universities for inoculations of about 9.07 million people at 1,821 venues. A two-dose vaccine developed by U.S. biotech firm Moderna Inc. will be used.
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