TOKYO: The Japanese Health Ministry is set to hold a special meeting on July 19 on lowering the minimum age for coronavirus vaccination with the Moderna vaccine, reported Sputnik.

According to Japanese news agency Kyodo on Thursday, citing sources, it is expected that the age requirement to be vaccinated with Moderna will be lowered from 18 to 12. So far, Japan allows vaccination of adolescents aged over 12 only with Pfizer's vaccine.

The vaccine rollout began in Japan on February 17 and has been consistently criticised for its slow progress. To date, some 22.7 million people have been fully vaccinated, which accounts for 17.9 per cent of the country's population. Priory has been given to healthcare workers and the elderly. Vaccination in workplaces began late June, but was suspended shortly after due to vaccine shortage.

--BERNAMA