Japan did not approve ivermectin for COVID-19 31, Japan has distributed more than 189 million doses since launching its vaccination drive in February.ĬOVID-19 vaccines from Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer are all approved for use in Japan, according to The Japan Times.Īfter a large portion of Moderna vaccines were suspended in Okinawa due to contamination, Japan's health minister, Norisha Tamura, told reporters, "Whatever the reason (for the foreign matter), we have heard that there is no safety or other issues."ĭaily COVID-19 case counts in Japan have likely dropped due to its vaccination campaign, mask-wearing and fewer people in downtown entertainment districts, the Associated Press reported.Ĭooler weather, COVID-19 testing and increased caution could also have contributed to the steep decline, health experts said.
27, the day the article was published, according to a vaccine tracker from Our World in Data. Japan administered 574,739 COVID-19 vaccine doses on Oct. The Instagram user did not return a request for comment. And the government never approved ivermectin to treat the virus.įact check: Ivermectin is not a proven treatment for COVID-19 It's true that Japan suspended the use of 1.63 million Moderna shots in September after contaminants were found in a vial of vaccine, per Reuters.īut the country never stopped administering COVID-19 vaccines, as claimed.
He links those two topics to an Associated Press story on Japan's sudden success in stopping the spread of new cases. 27 article published by the Hal Turner Radio Show, a site that promotes conspiracy theories, according to PolitiFact, which has debunked Turner's claim.Īs evidence, Turner cites an article about Moderna COVID-19 vaccines being removed from use in Japan due to contamination and another regarding the Tokyo Medical Association, a non-government agency, advocating for ivermectin, which has not been proven to treat COVID-19. 3 and accumulated more than 700 likes within a day. "Japan drops vax rollout, goes to Ivermectin, ENDS COVID almost overnight," reads the screenshot of a headline that was shared to Instagram on Nov. Researchers are looking into the factors that contributed to the decline, but some users online are claiming the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin and the removal of vaccines are the reason. Watch Video: Japan's sudden coronavirus success puzzles experts The claim: Japan stopped its vaccine rollout and switched to ivermectinĭaily COVID-19 cases in Japan have dropped drastically after a wave of infections that peaked in August.