After the recent Omicron wave, Japan’s population-level immunity to COVID-19 reached about 90% in key population areas, according to a study released Tuesday, but that level of protection is only a few. It may drop in months.
This level of so-called “herd immunity” reflects partial protection from both natural infection and vaccination, according to estimates by the Tokyo Foundation Policy Research Institute for Japan’s 12 most populous prefectures. ing.
People in Tokyo, Osaka and southern Okinawa Prefecture have acquired most immunity from contagion, especially during the seventh wave of infections that peaked last month, amid high numbers of cases in those areas, researchers say. Discovered.
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About 65% of the Japanese population has received at least one COVID vaccine booster, compared to about 33% in the United States, according to government data.
Japan last week began distributing booster shots formulated to target the Omicron strain of the virus.
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Japan currently requires a five-month interval between booster injections, which could be too long to protect the elderly and vulnerable groups if the projected eighth wave occurs towards the end of the year. writes the researcher.