Fact check: Japan did not stop its COVID-19 vaccine rollout and switch to ivermectin to treat virus

The claim: Japan stopped its vaccine rollout and switched to ivermectin

Daily COVID-19 cases in Japan have dropped drastically after a wave of infections that peaked in August. 

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.

“Japan drops vax rollout, goes to Ivermectin, ENDS COVID almost overnight,” reads the screenshot of a headline that was shared to Instagram on Nov. 3 and accumulated more than 700 likes within a day. 

The claim originated in an Oct. 27 article published by the Hal Turner Radio Show, a site that promotes conspiracy theories, according to PolitiFact, which has debunked Turner’s claim. 

As 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. He links those two topics to an Associated Press story on Japan’s sudden success in stopping the spread of new cases. 

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.

But the country never stopped administering COVID-19 vaccines, as claimed. And the government never approved ivermectin to treat the virus.

Fact check: Ivermectin is not a proven treatment for COVID-19

The Instagram user did not return a request for comment.

Japan didn’t stop vaccine rollout

Japan administered 574,739 COVID-19 vaccine doses on Oct. 27, the day the article was published, according to a vaccine tracker from Our World in Data. As of Oct. 31, Japan has distributed more than 189 million doses since launching its vaccination drive in February. 

COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer are all approved for use in Japan, according to The Japan Times.

After 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.”

Daily 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. 

Cooler weather, COVID-19 testing and increased caution could also have contributed to the steep decline, health experts said. 

Japan did not approve ivermectin for COVID-19

In response to USA TODAY’s request for comment, Turner claimed “new cases plummeted” when doctors in Japan started using ivermectin.

But ivermectin is not listed as an approved treatment for the virus by Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, a government organization in charge of reviewing drugs and medical devices. 

Inaccurate claims that Japan authorized ivermectin for COVID-19 began circulating online after Haruo Ozaki, chairman of the Tokyo Medical Association, recommended the drug for COVID-19 patients during a press conference on Aug. 13. 

The medical group and Ozaki are not affiliated with the Japanese government, and members of the organization can only provide suggestions, according to independent fact-check organizations. 

Turner claimed the rate of COVID-19 cases dropped “to almost zero” after Ozaki’s news conference, but Japan logged more than 20,000 new cases per day during the last week of August. 

COVID-19 cases in Japan began to decline in September, and the country did not drop its state of emergency until Oct. 1. 

Further, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government says on its site that “there are currently no antiviral drugs that are known to be effective against the coronavirus disease.”

Similarly, the World Health Organization warns against using ivermectin to treat COVID-19 and says the drug should “only be used within clinical trials.”  

Fact check: Alabama health system paused COVID-19 vaccine requirement due to federal mandate

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Japan stopped its vaccine rollout and switched to ivermectin. Japan is still administering COVID-19 vaccines, and more than 189 million doses have been administered in the country. The Japanese government does not list ivermectin as an authorized drug to treat the virus. Experts say the country’s drop in COVID-19 cases is due to vaccines and mask-wearing, among other factors. 

Our fact-check sources: 

• Our World in Data, accessed Nov. 1, Daily COVID-19 vaccine doses administered (Japan)
• Our World in Data, accessed Nov. 1, COVID-19 vaccine doses administered (Japan)
• Reuters, Feb. 16, Japan begins COVID-19 vaccination in ‘first major step’ to halt pandemic
• Reuters, Aug. 31, Japan health minister says Okinawa vaccine contaminants likely from needle stick
• The Japan Times, May 21, Japan issues final approval for Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines
• Associated Press, Oct. 18, Vaccines, masks? Japan puzzling over sudden virus success
• The New York Times, Oct. 28, Daily coronavirus cases in Japan fall to the hundreds after a summer peak
• Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, accessed Nov. 1, PDMA’s Efforts to Combat COVID-19
• Emergo by UL, accessed Nov. 1, Japan PMDA – Pharmaceuticals and medical Devices Agency
• Tokyo Web, Aug. 13, Chairman Ozaki “The whole country is hit by a disaster” and a sense of crisis
• PolitiFact, Sept. 14, Japan has not approved ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment and it’s still using Moderna vaccines 
• AFP, Sept. 11, Has Japan Endorsed Ivermectin As COVID-19 Treatment? A Fact Check
• Our World in Data, accessed Nov. 1, Japan: Coronavirus Pandemic Country Profile
• CBS News, Oct. 1, Japan fully drops COVID state of emergency for 1st time in 6 months
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government, July 28, Frequently asked questions about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) 
• World Health Organization, March 31, WHO advises that ivermectin only be used to treat COVID-19 within clinical trials

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app, or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from USA TODAY can be found here ***