URUMA, Okinawa -- Residents of Tsukenjima in Uruma, Okinawa Prefecture, became some of the first members of the general public under the age of 65 to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus on Thursday, as the remote island sought to ensure that its surplus supply of shots was put to full use.
Vaccinations for the elderly began nationwide on Monday. The central government had announced earlier that it would permit remote islands and other municipalities with small populations to simultaneously begin inoculating younger residents, if they anticipated having more doses than elderly who wanted them.
In what is believed to be the first time the vaccine was made available to private individuals under the age of 65 who were not medical professionals, 113 people were given shots alongside 28 nursing home residents at a vaccination site set up in the island's elementary and junior high school.
On Thursday night, an Uruma official announced that the city had mistakenly inoculated a 15-year-old resident with a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is intended for people aged 16 or older, but said the boy had not reported any adverse side effects.
The city said it had misunderstood the eligibility criteria to mean that a 15-year-old could receive a shot if they would turn 16 within the current fiscal year, similar to how people have qualified if they would reach the age of 65 within the fiscal year.
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