According to the Associated Press, the Japanese government is preparing for the surge of new COVID-19 cases by adding thousands of new beds in hospitals across the country.
The addition of 9,000 hospital beds is part of the new coronavirus road map approved by the main cabinet ministers on Friday. The roadmap says that if there is another surge, the government will be able to provide more beds for people infected with COVID-19. Through this measure, up to 37,000 patients can be treated in the hospital.
“It is important to predict the worst and take concrete actions to prepare for the next expansion of the infection,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at the meeting. “We will guarantee the medical system in a timely manner, and ensure the process of prevention, detection and early treatment by promoting vaccination, testing and oral pills to reduce the risk of serious cases.”
The decision was made after the devastating surge that the country experienced in mid-August, when the number of cases increased to approximately 25,000 per day. Due to lack of available beds, patients cannot seek treatment. Due to lack of resources, some smaller hospitals cannot treat COVID-19 patients.
Kishida was sworn in as prime minister on October 4. Suga YoshihideAccording to the Associated Press, his response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been criticized as “too little and too slow.”
Nearly 75% of Japan’s population has been vaccinated. The booster lens is expected to be launched next month.
For more reports from the Associated Press, please see below.
AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato
Some COVID-19 patients during the August surge depended on oxygen delivery.
Although Japan has a reasonable medical insurance system and the largest number of beds per capita in the world, COVID-19 patients are accommodated in only a small number of beds, mainly in public, universities and large private hospitals. The government provides subsidies to attract more hospitals to treat such patients, but progress has been slow, triggering calls for more stringent measures in emergency situations.
Some prefectures have established systems in which hospitals accept patients with serious illnesses who are no longer infectious and recovered after treatment in large hospitals.
This prompted the government to set up several medical institutions to receive patients who needed medical care while waiting for vacancies in the hospital. Kishida stated that the government will nearly double the capacity of the temporary hospital to 3,400, and increase the capacity of the hotel to 61,000 rooms to allow patients with milder illnesses to stay.
Experts say that because vaccination reduces the risk of serious cases, more patients may have mild symptoms that do not require hospitalization, so more attention should be paid to patients at home.
Koji Wada, a public health professor at the International University of Health and Welfare, said: “It seems to be overemphasized to ensure the safety of hospital beds.” “The examples of other countries where vaccination is progressing show that the number of patients staying at home may increase, but it seems that there is a lack of preparation.”
Kishida said that the government will have 32,000 primary care doctors and medical institutions monitoring or online medical consultations for patients at home to resolve their concerns.
The roadmap also promises that the government will receive up to 1.6 million doses of oral medication to treat COVID-19, and will be approved by the end of this year. These pills are mainly used for patients with mild symptoms who are expected to stay at home, although this requires monitoring by medical staff.
The government aims to gradually expand social and economic activities, but it is still cautiously relaxing border controls on foreign tourism.
