All national papers except Asahi highlighted GOJ data showing that 70% of Japanese people, or almost 88.8 million, had received two doses of coronavirus vaccine as of yesterday, noting that the only G7 nations that have recorded higher vaccination rates are Canada and Italy. While projecting that the nation’s vaccination rate will probably peak at about 80% by late November, Nikkei underscored that the GOJ must consider rolling out booster shots and expanding PCR and other diagnostic testing capacities very quickly to head off a sixth wave, given that large numbers of breakthrough infections have occurred overseas following the lifting of restrictions on economic activities.

In a related story, Asahi reported on an assessment of the current COVID-19 situation released by a Health Ministry advisory panel on Tuesday, noting that the seven-day rolling average of new cases per 100,000 people nationwide as of Oct. 25 was only 1.64, the lowest since last summer.