Japan PM pledges to step up action against omicron

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday vowed to speed up coronavirus vaccine booster shots, secure imported oral drugs and reorganise medical facilities to respond to the fast-spreading omicron variant.

Kishida said the response to the omicron would now shift to domestic measures, such as making free coronavirus tests more readily available, while border controls would continue.  Although COVID-19 cases and deaths have fallen lately in Japan, worries are growing about another "sixth wave" of infections because of the omicron variant.  About 80% of Japanese are fully vaccinated, but booster shots have barely begun.