Tokyo mum creates Covid-19 vaccination database amid information vacuum

LaShawn Toyoda, who has created a digital database on clinics offering Covid-19 vaccination shots, is pictured in Tokyo, Japan, June 30, 2021. - Toyoda via Reuters

TOKYO (Reuters): Balancing a new software programming job and caring for a toddler in Tokyo, LaShawn Toyoda saw increasing confusion in her social media feeds among non-Japanese speakers about how they could get a Covid-19 vaccine.

The 36-year-old, a former English teacher who had recently completed an intensive coding course as part of a pandemic-prompted career change, decided she had the skills to help ease concerns amid a lack of clear direction from officials.