Japan’s population’s immunity to COVID-19 has reached around 90% in most regions since the recent Omicron wave, although it is likely to decline in the months to come, according to a study published on Tuesday, Reuters and Agerpres reported.
This level of so-called “herd immunity” reflects a state of partial protection provided by both natural infection and vaccination, according to the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Studies, which assessed the situation in Japan’s 12 most populous prefectures.
The researchers found that residents of Tokyo, Osaka and the southern prefecture of Okinawa gained most of their immunity from exposure amid a high number of infections in those areas, particularly during the seventh wave of cases that peaked last month.
About 65 percent of Japan’s population has received at least one booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared with about 33 percent in the United States, according to government data.
Last week, Japan began distributing booster doses targeting the Omicron strain of the virus.
In Japan, the interval between booster doses is currently five months, although that may be too long to protect the elderly and vulnerable if the predicted eighth wave occurs near the end of the year, the researchers said.
Source: Hot News RU
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