Japan is considering vaccinating about 70,000 volunteers for this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to improve the safety of the games amid the coronavirus pandemic, Olympic minister Tamayo Marukawa said Tuesday.
Marukawa said in response to parliamentary questioning that officials have already agreed to pursue the idea of vaccinating all volunteers who registered through the Tokyo Organising Committee to assist at venues and the athletes village.
She disclosed the plan at a time when Japan still lags behind other developed countries in the amount of inoculations it has provided, and the vast majority of people in the country have yet to be vaccinated with less than 50 days until the opening of the Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee has said that U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. will provide vaccines for free to delegations participating in the Tokyo Games.
Japan plans to receive Pfizer vaccines for about 20,000 people, including support workers and officials expected to come into close contact with athletes. Vaccinations for Japanese athletes started on June 1.
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