Mass vaccination center reopens in Tokyo

Japan re-opened a mass vaccination center in Tokyo on Monday for COVID-19 booster shots as omicron takes hold in the country.

This facility is operated by the Self-Defense Force of Japan and had opened last year to help bolster administration of the first and second doses of vaccines. The government plans to keep the Tokyo operation open until end of July.

At the beginning of February, a similar center in Osaka is also set to re-open.

In December, COVID-19 booster rollout began with medical workers and is now slowly rolling out for the general public, starting with the elderly.

The operation began smoothly on Monday, with the capacity to administer 720 vaccination doses at the Tokyo mass vaccination center.

Later in February, they will increase the scale to administer 2,160 doses in a day.

The majority of the country — including Tokyo and other metropolitan areas like Osaka and Kyoto — is under new restrictions with shortened hours for bars and restaurants and curbs on large public events.