Tokyo mom creates Covid-19 vaccination database amid information vacuum

Toyoda, a 36-year-old American working mother in Japan who has created a digital database on clinics offering coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccination shots, is pictured in Tokyo, Japan. — LaShawn Toyoda/Reuters

TOKYO: 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.