Misinformation About samRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Fuels Vaccine Hesitancy in Japan

Hayase Hakariya, Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tuebingen, Germany and Rio Ohashi, Institute for Pharmaceutical and Social Health Sciences in Japan as well as affiliation with Trinity College in Dublin reports on the rollout of the self-amplifying mRNA (samRNA) COVID-19 vaccines in Japan.  Developed by Arcturus Therapeutics in partnership with CSL Seqirus, and  Meiji Seika Pharma, the vaccines were deployed starting October 1, 2024, representing a considerable shift in paradigm from a publicly funded model to a consumer-cost model. Targeting individuals aged 65 years and above, or persons in the age 60 to 64 range with higher risk, the Japanese take a classical risk-based approach to vaccination at this point. Anyone not in the aforementioned cohorts can access the vaccines on a purely voluntary and self-funded basis.

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