Kyoto, Hyogo Elderly Eligible for Coronavirus Shots at Self Defense Forces Run Sites

From Jiji Press

June 7 2021

COVID-19 vaccinations for residents of Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures aged 65 or over began Monday at the Osaka mass vaccination site operated by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, a move that brought the number of prefectures covered by SDF-run vaccination venues to seven.

The addition of the two prefectures neighboring the western Japanese prefecture of Osaka expanded the combined scope of people eligible for inoculations at the venue in Osaka and another SDF-run site in Tokyo to the maximum level initially planned.

Bookings for shots can be made through the Defense Ministry homepage or the Line messaging app.

Reservations for the two weeks from June 14 can be made from around 11 a.m. Monday (2 a.m. GMT) for the Tokyo venue and from around 1 p.m. the same day for the Osaka venue.

The sites initially only allowed bookings for the upcoming week, but the reservation period was expanded to two weeks to urge people to get appointments as swiftly as possible before many start to receive their second jabs from June 28.