As workplaces and universities become vaccination venues, the people in charge of the inoculation programs are figuring out ways to make the process smoother for everyone involved.
Toyota Motor Corp. incorporated its "Toyota Production System," aimed at eliminating inefficiency in manufacturing, into the operation of a vaccination site next to the company's headquarters in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture.
The flow line is straight from the entrance to the waiting area for people who are vaccinated, and pre-inoculation interviews are conducted standing up. The procedures from reception to vaccination take about three minutes per person, according to the company.
On Monday, about 300 security guards working at Toyota-related facilities were vaccinated. About 80,000 people, including about 50,000 employees, are scheduled to be inoculated by Sept. 10.
Suntory Holdings Ltd. introduced its own online booking system, which gives priority to sales representatives and workers working at plants, and allows users to quickly see how many slots are filled.
The system is also intended to help plan production and sales schedules, taking into account follow-ups after vaccinations and other factors, and avoid the disposal of unused vaccines due to cancellations.
-- Securing large spaces
Large venues are necessary for workplace vaccinations that involve many people.
Mori Building Co. is using the Main Hall at the Toranomon Hills complex in Minato Ward, Tokyo, to vaccinate employees of stores in the complex and others. The hall is usually used for companies' events, but Mori Building said that it informed businesses that had booked the facility about other options and asked them to use those instead.
Rakuten Group, Inc. has begun vaccinations at its headquarters in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo. The site is equipped with tablet devices that provide translation via videophone for international employees, and employees who are skilled at foreign languages help people communicate with nurses and other staff.
-- Helping local residents
In addition to employees and their families, some companies are vaccinating the employees of their business partners and local residents.
Itochu Corp. has decided to vaccinate nursery school staff at its contracted daycare facilities. Itochu Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Masahiro Okafuji said, "Companies' efforts to inoculate as many people as possible will help increase the country's vaccination rate."
GMO Internet Group plans to vaccinate not only its employees and their families but also their unmarried partners.
Securing enough people to administer vaccines will be a challenge for companies conducting workplace vaccinations. If companies try to secure external doctors and nurses, it may hinder municipalities' vaccination rollout efforts. For that reason, many are limiting the people to be vaccinated to the number that can be handled by their in-house physicians and nurses.
Some companies may have difficulty securing in-house physicians. A major company official said, "We'll ask employees to receive vaccinations given by municipalities."
-- Suga: Picking up the pace
Japan Post Holdings Co. is administering inoculations at its headquarters in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Mail carriers and customer service staff at post offices will be the first to receive vaccinations, with about 130,000 group employees overall scheduled to receive shots by the end of the year.
A 49-year-old employee at the Kyobashi-dori Post Office said: "If we're infected, over-the-counter services would have to be suspended. I'm very glad they're doing this."
Japan East Railway Co., NTT Docomo Inc. and Canon Inc. are also among the companies that have begun workplace vaccination programs.
Vaccinations for national public servants have likewise started at the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry building in the Kasumigaseki district of Tokyo.
According to the ministry, 17 universities including Tohoku University, Osaka University and Keio University have begun vaccinating. Some universities plan to vaccinate their own students and staff, as well as those at other universities in the vicinity and nearby residents.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga visited the headquarters of Japan Post Holdings and the Toranomon Hills complex on Monday to see how the inoculations were going.
"The vaccine rollout will pick up pace. The government will do everything it can to vaccinate all those who want to be inoculated, including young people and those in their prime, as soon as possible," Suga told reporters after the visits.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, the government had received applications to conduct workplace vaccination programs from companies, universities and others encompassing a total of 14.64 million people at 3,795 venues.
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