Japan begins COVID-19 vaccine drive as Olympics loom

"Tennessee has administered more than one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine so far, and we've made substantial progress in protecting our senior citizens who are over age 70 through vaccination", said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP.

Tennesseans who have already registered for a COVID-19 vaccination do not need to re-enter their information in the new system.

Last week, FEMA announced it had finalized a contract for 30 mobile vaccination units throughout the country scheduled to begin this week.

Officials told CNN and ABC 7 they plan to vaccinate up to 4,000 people at both sites Tuesday and are aiming to bump that number up to 6,000 by Thursday. "The community has been hard hit by Covid-19, some of the worst infection rates nationally, and having this here for the community is really going to be a game-changer".

Appointments for the vaccine at Cal State Los Angeles and Oakland-Alameda Coliseum are available on the state's MyTurn scheduling website. The site is now offering drive-thru and walk-up appointments and is accessible to those who can not drive to the site.

FMM thanked the government for the comprehensive policy and programme which would enable Malaysians to get vaccinated as soon as possible "to ensure that herd immunity can be formed in the community in order to break the chain of the Covid-19 infections".

Hanging over the rollout of the vaccines - which will go first to medical workers, then the elderly and vulnerable, and then, possibly in late spring or early summer, the rest of the population - are worries about shortages of the imported vaccines Japan relies on, and a longtime reluctance among many Japanese to take vaccines because of fears of rare side effects. "Everybody will get their second dose within 12 weeks and we're confident we can offer vaccines to all those in cohorts one to nine by May".

But the country has also seen a much more limited outbreak compared with hard-hit countries such as Britain or the United States.

Acting FEMA Administrator Bob Fenton said the two California sites are "perfect examples of how FEMA is working around the clock to support state-led, federally supported vaccine delivery".

"We are grateful to President Biden and Governor Newsom for marshaling federal and state resources to significantly increase our ability to vaccinate our residents in Los Angeles County", said Hilda Solis, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.