Japan opens mass vaccination sites for elderly

Due to a critical shortage of trained staff to administer shots, Japan's rollout of COVID-19 vaccines began belatedly in mid-February, months behind the United States and many other countries. Japan opened mass inoculation centers in Tokyo and Osaka on Monday.

The two venues operated by Japan's Self Defense Forces are open to people 65 or older who have not been vaccinated yet. Officials also blamed a shortage of the Pfizer vaccine from Europe as the main culprit in the delay. But three months later, with shipments stabilized and officials attempting to accelerate vaccines, Japan remains one of the world's least protected countries from the virus.