A woman receives a COVID-19 vaccine at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, April 21, 2021. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Some military immunization clinics across Japan are having difficulties obtaining the latest COVID-19 vaccine due to, some say, a large backlog of orders.
The exception, so far, is Yokota, headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan in western Tokyo. The 374th Medical Group expects Pfizer vaccines to arrive in November and be available to anyone eligible to receive them, base spokesman 1st Lt. Danny Rangle said by email Tuesday.
Elsewhere, the vaccines are on order, but their arrival dates are uncertain; or they’re on back order with no shipping date scheduled.
At Camp Zama, headquarters of U.S. Army Japan near Tokyo, the shots are on back order while the Department of Defense vendor first supplies thousands of clinics in the Tricare network, Sgt. Erick Menendez, the medical readiness and immunizations noncommissioned officer in charge at Zama, said by phone Tuesday. Tricare is the DOD health care program for active-duty service members and their families.
Vaccines were supposed to start moving last week to U.S. military bases overseas; no shortages were expected despite back orders or delays. Military installations will receive their vaccine supplies based on when their orders were received.
Yokosuka Naval Base, homeport of the 7th Fleet on Tokyo Bay, is awaiting its delivery, naval hospital spokesman Gabriel Archer said by email Wednesday.
Censora, the vendor, has shipped the vaccines and Naval Medicine Readiness and Training Command is awaiting shipping and tracking information from the Defense Logistics Agency, he said.
On Okinawa, the vaccines are so far unavailable through the Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support System, Trey Savitz, spokesman for the naval hospital at Camp Foster, said by email Wednesday.
When the vaccines eventually get to Okinawa, they will be available to all beneficiaries during walk-in hours on Thursday mornings or by appointment outside of those hours, Savitz said.
Kadena Air Base on Okinawa is in a similar hold, said Air Force Staff Sgt. Jabreanna Fontenot, spokeswoman for the 18th Medical Group immunization clinic.
The FDA also no longer calls the shot a booster for those already vaccinated, according to Andy Pekosz, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
“The change in wording reflects that we’ve begun treating COVID like we treat influenza, with annual vaccination,” he wrote in a Q&A on the university’s website.
Experts recommend that everyone who is eligible get the updated vaccine by mid-October, ahead of cooler weather and more indoor gatherings, Pekosz said. Those at higher risk of severe illness should get vaccinated as soon as possible, he said.
