Vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and BioNTech will donate coronavirus vaccine doses to inoculate athletes and officials slated to participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The International Olympic Committee will begin delivering doses this month to give delegations ample time to be fully vaccinated before arriving in Tokyo for the games, opening on July 23, according to a readout.
“This donation of the vaccine is another tool in our toolbox of measures to help make the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 safe and secure for all participants, and to show solidarity with our gracious Japanese hosts,” IOC President Thomas Bach said.
The vaccine donations follow an agreement the IOC announced in March with Olympic officials in China to buy and distribute Chinese vaccines ahead of the games, along with next year’s Beijing Winter Games.
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Pfizer and BioNTech’s donations will offer greater protection coverage worldwide ahead of the summer games, as most countries have yet to authorize the emergency use of the Chinese vaccines.
“We are inviting the athletes and participating delegations of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to lead by example and accept the vaccine where and when possible,” Bach said.
Pfizer’s chairman and CEO, Albert Bourla, made the deal to donate doses after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
“Following this conversation, the Japanese government had a meeting with the IOC and now the donation plan has been realised,” the IOC noted in the readout.
Any vaccination program must be done “in accordance with each country’s vaccination guidelines and consistent with local regulations,” the IOC said.
While Japan has done better than some countries to keep COVID-19 infection rates down through extensive health and safety measures, the country’s vaccine rate has been slower than most nations that pushed for vaccine development initiatives.
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Currently, Japan has roughly 1,042,998 residents who have been fully vaccinated, approximately 0.83% of the population, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
