Tokyo: Japan on Sunday formally approved its first COVID-19 vaccine and said it would start nationwide inoculations within days, but months behind the U.S.
and many other countries.Japan’s health ministry said it had approved the vaccine co-developed and supplied by Pfizer Inc.The announcement comes after a government panel on Friday confirmed that final results of clinical testing done in Japan showed that the vaccine had an efficacy similar to what overseas tests showed.Many countries began vaccinating their citizens late last year, and Pfizer's vaccine has been used elsewhere since December.Under the current plan, about 20,000 front-line medical workers at hospitals in Japan will get their first shots beginning around Wednesday.