At least 75% of athletes and country delegations staying in the Olympic village will be vaccinated before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics on July 23, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Wednesday ), Thomas Bach.
“At this time, 75% of the residents of the Olympic village are already vaccinated or have guaranteed vaccination before the Olympic Games,” said Thomas Bach in a teleconference with the Japanese organizers of the games.
“We have good reason to believe that the number will be above 80%,” he added.
Bach also indicated that the IOC wanted to incorporate additional medical personnel to the Games, given the controversy that arose over whether the Olympics could put additional pressure on the Japanese health system, already very saturated by the pandemic.
“The IOC proposed to the organizing committee to have additional medical staff as part of the NOC (National Olympic Committees) delegations,” he explained.
These professionals would provide a “reinforcement in medical operations and so that the measures against covid-19 are strictly applied in the Olympic Village and at the events” of the Games, he said.
However, it did not provide details on how many healthcare workers could be involved in that device.
The president of the organizing committee of the Tokyo Games, Seiko Hashimoto, said that the organizers would accept the proposal and admitted that the vaccination of the participants “would be of great help to make the Games safe.”
With the Olympics just 10 weeks away, a majority of Japanese people continue to think it would be better if they were postponed or canceled, according to polls.
Japan is experiencing a new wave of COVID-19 infections and its vaccination campaign has been widely criticized for its slowness.
However, the organizers ensure that the event will be safe thanks to the strict security measures adopted, such as the Games being held without foreign spectators. (AFP) (GG)