Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals
Moderna applies for COVID-19 booster shot approval from Japan's health ministry -NHK
Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Moderna logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
TOKYO, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) applied for approval from Japan's health ministry on Wednesday to use their COVID-19 vaccines for booster shots, broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday.
Japan plans to start administering booster shots from December this year, and has already approved the use of Pfizer (PFE.N) COVID-19 vaccines for a third round of vaccinations on Thursday.
If approved, Moderna's vaccine would become the second to be approved for booster shots in Japan.
About 74% of Japan's population has been fully vaccinated as of Thursday according to NHK. The country is currently seeing a fall in cases following a fifth wave of the pandemic that peaked in August.
(This story has been refiled to add NHK attribution in headline)
Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Toby Chopra
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