Tokyo, Dec 1 (EFE).- Japan on Wednesday began to administer booster doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine starting with health professionals ahead of elderly citizens.

The third dose is being given to medical workers who received their second dose at least eight months ago, and from January, it will be administered to those over 65 years of age.

Japan has fully vaccinated more than 75 percent of its population, according to official data.

The government decided several months ago to also administer a third dose to those fully vaccinated due to the decreasing effectiveness of the drug over time.

Tokyo is pushing ahead with booster shots amid global concern about the new Omicron variant, against which the degree of effectiveness of existing vaccines is for now unknown.

The authorities announced on Wednesday new border restrictions that affect all travelers from 10 African countries, in addition to other measures announced on Monday, with a view to curbing the spread of the new variant in Japan, which has already detected its first case of Omicron.

Pfizer is for now the only vaccine that has received authorization from Japanese regulators to be administered as a third dose.

Covid-19 infections in Japan have been dropping since the end of September, and in recent weeks 100-200 daily cases have been recorded throughout the country. EFE

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