Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 15
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has cut short his Southeast Asia trip due to a COVID-19 case among his traveling party, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing a State Department official.
- A Japanese health ministry panel approved Wednesday the administration of U.S. biotechnology firm Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine as booster shots at least six months after an individual aged 18 or older has received their second dose.
- Japan is considering distributing unused cloth masks, dubbed "Abenomasks," to local governments after a large amount procured by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration remained locked away accumulating storage costs, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Wednesday.
- U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. said Tuesday that its experimental antiviral pill against COVID-19 has shown nearly 90 percent efficacy in preventing hospitalization or death in high-risk patients, citing final study results.
As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 14
- Reservations for bullet and express train services during the year-end and New Year holiday soared 81 percent from a year earlier, Japan's major rail operators said Tuesday, signaling easing public concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
- The United States on Monday surpassed 50 million reported coronavirus cases, underscoring the country's struggle against the pandemic despite the continuing rollout of vaccines, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed.
- Finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of Seven nations have pledged to keep their guard up against new coronavirus variants and work together on global supply chain issues amid growing concerns over the Omicron variant, according to the British government.
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Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan
- Health ministry call center
COVID-19: 0120-565-653 (toll free)
COVID-19 Vaccines: 0120-761-770 (toll free)
-Interpreters available for English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; for Thai 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; for Vietnamese 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. - Health ministry's COVID-19 Vaccine Navigation website
https://v-sys.mhlw.go.jp/en/ - AMDA Medical Information Center's "Multilingual Consultation Service"
- Available in Simple Japanese and English, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Also available in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese on designated weekdays. Check schedule here.
03-6233-9266 - Tokyo Metropolitan Government's COVID-19 info
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/ - Tokyo Metropolitan Government hotline
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/contacts
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (including weekends and holidays)
0570-550571
- Available via fax for those with hearing impairments
03-5388-1396 - Japan National Tourism Organization's "Guide for when you are feeling ill"
- Multilingual clinic/hospital search available in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese
https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html - JNTO's "Japan Visitor Hotline"
https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/hotline/
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
050-3816-2787
+81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas)