Some companies have begun offering "vaccination leave" for their employees in preparation for COVID-19 vaccinations. It is expected that creating an environment that makes it easier for workers to get vaccinated will help hasten the vaccination process.
-- Paid leave for side effects
Kuboi Ink Co., an ink manufacturer in Higashinari Ward, Osaka, is one such company that has begun offering vaccine leave.
The company has decided to allow employees who receive the vaccination to take special paid leave. Special paid leave can be set by companies, apart from the annual paid leave that is mandatory by the Labor Standards Law.
"The coronavirus pandemic is affecting our business performance. We want to create an environment where employees who want to be vaccinated can do so at ease so that the pandemic can be brought under control as soon as possible," said Shinsuke Kuboi, president of Kuboi Ink.
The aim is to enable employees to get vaccinated on weekdays instead of weekends and holidays, when more people make appointments. Also, the company will give employees who received the vaccination an incentive of 10,000 yen.
Nippon Life Insurance Co. has also begun allowing employees to take special paid leave on the day of a vaccination appointment. The company also allows employees to take a leave of absence on the day after vaccination and does not regard it as sickness absence, for which pay is reduced, even if they take the day off due to side effects.
"We hope employees will not postpone the vaccination because they are worried about their work or availability of paid leave," said an employee in charge.
Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc. announced on April 15 that employees, including part-time workers, will be allowed to receive COVID-19 vaccines during their working hours.
If the employees have side effects that make it difficult for them to work, they can make that day a special paid leave and they can get a special day off if they get sick the next day or after due to the vaccinations.
-- Government welcomes vaccination leave
Currently, the central government is prioritizing vaccinations for medical workers and the elderly.
Health minister Norihisa Tamura said at a press conference after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that vaccinations for people with existing medical concerns and the general public "may start in some areas in July."
The nation's COVID-19 vaccine process lags behind many countries. According to Our World in Data compiled by Oxford University and other organizations, as of Monday, the percentage of the total population who have received two doses of the vaccine was 58.64% in Israel, 28.67% in the United States, and 19% in the United Kingdom. In contrast, Japan's figure is 0.73%.
Many people experienced symptoms such as pain and fatigue the day after they received COVID-19 vaccinations, according to an interim report of a health survey for medical workers conducted by a research group of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
The survey showed that 6% of the about 17,000 people who received the second vaccination reported that they had taken time off work after the vaccination.
The government is also positive about the spread of "vaccination leave." In an internet program broadcast in March, administrative and regulatory reform minister Taro Kono expressed his intention to ask the business community to improve the environment in which employees can take leave for vaccinations.
-- Local governments make efforts
Meanwhile, local governments are also making efforts to encourage the elderly to be vaccinated. For example, Shizuoka City gives 500 yen toward the cab fare to vaccination sites for those aged 65 and older.
When elderly residents make an appointment for a vaccination via a dedicated call center, they can arrange for a cab, and the cab company will call to confirm the appointment the day before the vaccination. This will help to prevent elderly residents from forgetting the vaccination appointment.
Chiyoda Ward in Tokyo has received bottled drinks and other supplies from a pharmaceutical company headquartered in the ward, and it plans to distribute them to elderly residents who come for vaccinations.
Takaaki Higuchi, the mayor of the ward, said: "Elderly people are at risk of becoming seriously ill [when they get infected with the coronavirus]. We want as many people as possible to get vaccinated."
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