Japan starts booster COVID vaccinations amid omicron scare

Japan has started offering coronavirus vaccine booster shots to health care workers amid growing concerns over a new variant of the virus that has already been detected in the country

TOKYO -- Japan on Wednesday started offering coronavirus vaccine booster shots to health care workers amid growing concerns over a new variant of the virus that has already been detected in the country.

Japan's initial vaccination drive kicked off in mid-February and some medical workers who received jabs more than nine months ago are now eager to get additional protection ahead of a possible next wave of infections — especially after the new variant known as omicron, which was first reported in South Africa last week, was found in Japan on Tuesday.

At Tokyo Medical Center, a group of nurses and doctors received booster shots.

“It's an important first step for our patients and their families to be treated with a sense of safety," said hospital chief Kazuhiro Araki.