＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・コロナワクチン接種と副反応。「ゼロリスク信仰」と「SNSのデマ情報」の問題
<Added June 18, 2021> Reports of COVID-19 Infections Among Healthcare Workers in Indonesia Who Received Chinese-Made Vaccine (Sinovac)
Reports indicate that over 350 healthcare workers, including doctors, who received COVID-19 vaccinations in Indonesia have been infected with the virus, with dozens hospitalized.
The infected doctors had reportedly received vaccines manufactured by Sinovac Biotech of China. While most doctors are asymptomatic and self-isolating at home, dozens have been hospitalized.
Considering that the Sinovac vaccine is not approved in Japan, and that it may not be effective against the highly infectious Indian variant (Delta strain), I believe there should be no excessive anxiety regarding vaccination in Japan.
COVID-19 vaccination is rapidly progressing, prioritizing healthcare workers and primarily those aged 65 and over.
While there have been various troubles and mistakes, such as a surge in reservations making it difficult to secure a spot at one point, large amounts of vaccine being discarded due to refrigerator malfunctions or power outages, errors like injecting undiluted vaccine or saline solution, injecting air with empty syringes, administering three doses, and large vaccination sites being nearly empty, hindering reservation progress, overall, vaccination is progressing smoothly.
Incidentally, what distinguishes this COVID-19 vaccination from conventional seasonal influenza vaccinations is that it is “the first time this vaccine has been administered in Japan” and “the rate of adverse reactions is high.”
1. COVID-19 Vaccination and Adverse Reactions
According to an article published on April 29, 2021, in Toyo Keizai Online, the situation regarding side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine is as follows:
According to the “Vaccination Q&A” article published on April 23, 2021, on Asahi Shimbun ReLife.net, the “situation of side effects such as fever and general malaise by age and gender” is as follows:
2. The Problem of “Zero-Risk Belief” and “Causal Relationship with Death”
Previously, following issues with severe disabilities resulting from “cervical cancer vaccination,” newspapers such as the Asahi Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun launched an “anti-vaccine campaign,” leading the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to “withdraw its recommendation” for “cervical cancer vaccination.”
As a result, the vaccination rate, which was once around 70%, has reportedly plummeted to nearly 0%.
I believe this is a problem of “the harmful effects of zero-risk belief” and “the government’s (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s) tendency to avoid responsibility.”
Certainly, I understand the feeling of wanting to ask, “What was the point of vaccination?” if you get vaccinated for “prevention” of disease, only to contract the disease or die as a result.
I also honestly worry about the serious side effects of the “COVID-19 vaccine,” as while they are more common among young people and women, elderly men are not at zero risk either.
There have been reports that in Japan, 196 people died out of approximately 14.12 million who received the vaccine between February 17th and June 4th of this year. This means that approximately 1 in 72,000 people died after receiving the vaccine.
As vaccination progresses among younger people under 64, if many experience serious side effects, and some even die, it may cause more people to hesitate about getting vaccinated.
Determining a causal relationship between vaccination and death is a difficult issue, similar to determining a causal relationship between a positive COVID-19 test result and death.
Whether or not to receive the vaccine is naturally a personal decision, not mandatory, as some people may be unable to receive it due to pre-existing medical conditions, and individual values differ.
However, to achieve “herd immunity” among the Japanese population, it is undoubtedly desirable for as many people as possible to receive the vaccine.
I hope that the media will avoid launching “anti-vaccine campaigns” like those during the HPV vaccine debate, or engaging in unnecessarily anxiety-inducing “anti-vaccine reporting.”
Furthermore, I hope that the government and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare will not shirk responsibility out of fear of the voices of those who believe in “zero risk.”
3. The influence of television and the spread of “fake information (misinformation)” through YouTube and social media
A survey investigating what sources of information people rely on when deciding whether or not to get vaccinated revealed that “television” was overwhelmingly the most common source, but YouTube and social media were also mentioned.
Unlike television, YouTube and social media can be viewed repeatedly, and similar related information also appears, giving them tremendous power to spread information. If this is “fake news” or “misinformation,” the negative impact can be immeasurable.
For example, there is misinformation such as “it will cause infertility” or “it will have adverse effects on the body 5 or 10 years down the line,” which seems to be fueling anxiety, especially among young people, and women. Experts have refuted this misinformation.
However, since it is still some time away, there is a sense of frustration that we cannot make definitive statements until much more data on the effects of vaccination is accumulated in various countries around the world.