TOKYO -- Around 1,200 doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine arrived at the Tokyo headquarters of Japanese trading house Itochu on Tuesday, a key moment in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic for the company and its employees.
"The vaccine gives [us] a positive outlook on the future. We are one step closer to normalization," a company representative told Nikkei Asia.
The long-awaited vaccines are being stored in two freezers the size of a small cooler. Itochu plans to vaccinate 300 to 400 employees on Monday, the first day of its workplace vaccination program. It eventually hopes to inoculate 7,500 employees and contract workers at its offices, including receptionists, security guards, and day care staff.
Itochu was one of the first Japanese companies to come up with a plan to vaccinate its employees, announcing its effort on June 2, the same day that Taro Kono, the minister in charge of Japan's COVID-19 vaccine rollout, suggested the idea of workplace vaccination as a way to boost the country's low vaccination rate.
The government on June 8 started accepting vaccination applications from companies. A total of 1,034 companies and universities, covering some 5 million people, have applied for the program as of Wednesday.
Two airlines -- All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines -- were the first companies to offer shots to staff. Itochu, Panasonic, Canon, Bridgestone and other large companies will start vaccinating their employees on Monday. Toyota Motor on Tuesday announced that it would begin vaccinating its 80,000 employees in Tokyo and Aichi prefecture from Monday, aiming to deliver the second shots by Sept. 10.
Atsuomi Obayashi, a risk management expert and professor at Tokyo's Keio University, said the workplace vaccination will make it easier for companies to normalize their operations. "They can foresee their future business activities if they can predict when and how many of their employees will be vaccinated," Obayashi said.
The Itochu representative said the company began preparing for workplace vaccinations last month, after Kono mentioned workplace inoculation in a meeting with Japan's biggest business lobby, Keidanren, in mid-May.
Companies will share their employees' vaccination data with authorities through Japan's centralized vaccination record system.
The expanding workplace vaccination program is a silver lining for Japan, which has had trouble getting shots in to arms, with just 5.2% of the population having been fully vaccinated so far. By offering freezers and vaccines free of charge, and providing a subsidy of 2,070 yen per shot, the government aims to encourage more companies to inoculate their employees.
But the most important part of the operation -- where to administer the shots and finding the medical staff to do the job, has been left in the hands of the companies taking part.
"By making the most of what we already have, we are able to begin our inoculation program as soon as possible," said the Itochu representative, adding that they will have physicians give the inoculations.
In Tokyo, two doctors and five nurses who work full time for Itochu will be in charge of inoculating employees and monitoring them afterward. The company will use an in-house reservation system originally introduced for flu vaccinations to schedule COVID shots for staff.
Itochu asked 10 volunteers from among its staff to work at the venue in Tokyo, helping vaccine recipients move through checkpoints smoothly. The company will offer paid leave to people who suffer from side effects.
Employees over 60 will have priority for the first inoculation at Itochu, since they are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID. To minimize the chances of disruption to work, the company is considering steps to keep too many people from the same department being vaccinated at the same time.
"We have to be careful to make sure there are no leftover doses." The Itochu representative said. Moderna and Pfizer prohibit the refreezing of vaccines after distribution. In Japan, some municipalities have reportedly had to throw away leftover doses due to sudden cancellations.
Although some concerns remain, Keio University's Obayashi said companies' eagerness to sign up for the program is a "barometer" that shows their awareness of employees' health. "We can assume that those companies can effectively deal with other risks as well," Obayashi added.
"Vaccines are not a panacea that solves all business continuity risks," cautioned Makoto Asano, a director at Japan's Association of Risk Management. Risk management experts warn that workplace vaccination does not immediately guarantee a return to normal.
Itochu said the company won't issue vaccine certificates on its own. It favors an international framework for "vaccine passports." Itochu currently bans overseas business trips.
Asano said companies have learned a lesson from the year-plus pandemic: "It brought home to many companies that they have to prepare for all potential hazards and think about their crisis management systems. The lesson will be here to stay after the pandemic is over."