職域接種５００人以上に緩和　３回目接種加速、支援強化―厚労省

　厚生労働省は１日、新型コロナウイルスワクチンの職域での３回目接種について、１会場当たり原則１０００人以上への接種が必要としていた要件を、５００人以上に緩和すると発表した。運営費などの補助金上限額も引き上げる。遅れが目立つ３回目接種を促すため、政府は企業などへの支援を強化する。
　厚労省によると、１、２回目の職域接種は４０４４カ所で行われたが、３回目の申請は６割程度の２５７５カ所（１月３１日時点）にとどまっている。同省が１、２回目は実施しながら３回目を申し込んでいない企業にヒアリングをしたところ、１０００人未満の規模を希望する意見が多数あったという。（2022/02/01-20:17）

Japan's health ministry said Tuesday it will relax its requirement for COVID-19 booster vaccination programs at workplaces and accept applications from those capable of vaccinating 500 or more people.
   Previously, a workplace vaccination program needed to inoculate at least 1,000 people in principle. The relaxed application rule is deigned to accelerate the rollout of booster vaccine shots, which has been criticized as being slow.
   Workplace vaccination programs for the first and second shots took place at 4,044 venues across the country, but for the third shots, applications had been made from only 2,575 venues by Monday.
   The ministry has asked companies why they have not applied for workplace vaccination for the third shots even though they applied for the first and second doses. Many companies said they plan to administer the third shots to less than 1,000 people, according to the ministry.
   For workplace vaccination programs, boxes of U.S. biotechnology startup Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine containing doses for 150 people will be delivered to companies and other organizations.