According to Asahi, the Health Ministry is considering administering COVID-19 booster shots to people with underlying conditions in addition to those aged 65 or older, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers, projecting that people in these categories will receive their third doses of vaccine in December at the earliest.

The daily said in a separate piece that the ministry is also likely to accelerate discussions on administering coronavirus vaccines to children aged 5 to 11 following a U.S. FDA advisory panel’s recommendation that the Pfizer vaccine be administered to this age group.