Japan's prime minister has asked U.S. drug maker Pfizer for additional supplies of the COVID-19 vaccineTOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga asked the U.S. drug maker Pfizer Inc. for additional supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine to speed up his country's inoculation drive, which lags behind many other nations. Taro Kono, a Cabinet minister tasked with vaccinations, told a Japanese television talk show Sunday that the two sides have “practically reached an agreement” over the vaccines. Suga requested Bourla provide additional supplies that would cover all eligible recipients by September, as well as to ensure the stable and prompt delivery of the ongoing vaccine shipments, Japanese officials said Sunday. According to the officials, Bourla told Suga that Pfizer planned to closely coordinate with the Japanese government to discuss the requests. The Pfizer vaccine is the only one Japan has approved so far.

Source: ABC News April 18, 2021 03:00 UTC