Japan reports 132,071 new coronavirus cases; record high 503 deaths

If you make a (on topic) claim and back it up with a reputable source, I see no reason for that to happen.

Of course,but sometimes for sake of discussion it's good to be able to see the sources also

In many discussions many are able to see the sources before they get deleted but I myself don't click on them

If the definition of covid deaths has broadened beyond what would originally be characterized as a covid death then the higher death rate is to be expected because the definition changed. We are all being spun and manipulated so I have no idea.

If they are manipulating us shouldnt they change the definition so the number of deaths appear smaller than they really are, not bigger?

The article reports "coronavirus-related deaths". I suspect they represent people who tested positive at the time of death or a certain time prior to death, and not deaths by coronavirus

Curious why you would suspect this. Do you know something we don't, e.g. a conspiracy theory?

No, it's based on a news report I saw a few months ago on CBCテレビ. At that time, Aichi prefecture had over 400 Covid deaths (in a month?), and according to doctors/experts the number of those deaths that were actually caused by coronavirus was zero. They were recommending changing the way they report data....

I do not think the train like a shop is a worry.

Hmm first time I think I've seen a comment regarding covid saying trains not a worry.

Unique at least

@Alex

Infections do occur in an environment with interaction between people, I mean talking etc. Like the home, office, school but mainly restaurants, izakayas.

Do you interact and talk with others in a train ?

I do not think the train like a shop is a worry.

The selfishness of some in this city is utterly astonishing. 

Always been that way, we can't really do anything about it.

At least you can easily identify them now

I fully believe that people insisting on going maskless in crowded, indoor spaces are behind part of this rise in COVID deaths. Everyone has mostly gone back to normal in their lives, which is not a bad thing. But it's really very easy to put on a mask when you're about to board a crowded rush-hour train, or go to a tiny doctor's office with no ventilation. I've seen a lot of elderly people on the train who look fully stressed-out when they see maskless people not only board the crowded train, but sit down beside them in the priority seats area - y'know, where the people most likely to be immuno-compromised would be. The selfishness of some in this city is utterly astonishing. We can do our part to save lives, and it's really asking very little of us.

Roy,

you are right, the entire prefecture of Aichi is struggling but you still cannot claim the Japanese healthcare system is on the verge of collapse. As we saw last year, Hokkaido and Okinawa were near 100% capacity while other areas of Japan went relatively

Again, we have seen this exact situation before, what's the point of downplaying it? To make us feel better? We are adults, aren't we? We have object permanence, problems don't go away if we close our eyes.

I am not downplaying anything. I simply stated your numbers in your original post were incorrect and did not agree with your assertion of being on the verge of collapse.

The facts speak for themselves.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/hospital/

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10900000/001037520.pdf

As a long Covid sufferer, what I’ve learned from this thread, the only thing is how inconsiderate and non caring the expat community can be here in Japan. Record deaths and that does not count those that will go on to develop long term complications like myself… All of you that are saying “let it rip” “only the elderly are impacted”. Or “the rest of the world has moved on”. Really should not be posting that crap in here it’s nothing but inconsiderate to those suffering from Covid and really should rethink your opinion. I want children here but I don’t want children in a society that does not support each other and raise each other up.

If the definition of deaths by coronavirus are the same in Japan as since the first wave then this is really concerning.

The article reports "coronavirus-related deaths". I suspect they represent people who tested positive at the time of death or a certain time prior to death, and not deaths by coronavirus.

My previous post was mangled.

In an interview with Tokai TV, Dr. Kobayashi, head of the Sakura General Hospital in the town of Oguchi, Aichi Prefecture, stated that the official prefectural hospital bed occupancy rate of 70 percent did not reflect the true situation. “We’re actually at 95 percent or more,” he said. “No mistake about it. We’re on the eve of collapse. If this wave continues for much longer, or if another wave strikes before this one recedes, we’re in a state where collapse is going to be imminent. I can say that with certainty.”

One small hospital in one prefecture cannot be used to extrapolate to the entire country.

I’m sure that hospital is struggling but the country overall is not.

Roy

As for the "hardly on the brink of collapsing":

In an interview with Tokai TV, Dr. Kobayashi, head of the Sakura General Hospital in the town of Oguchi, Aichi Prefecture, stated that the official prefectural hospital bed occupancy rate of 70 percent did not reflect the true situation. “We’re actually at 95 percent or more,” he said. “No mistake about it. We’re on the eve of collapse. If this wave continues for much longer, or if another wave strikes before this one recedes, we’re in a state where collapse is going to be imminent. I can say that with certainty.”

One small hospital in one prefecture cannot be used to draw conclusions for the entire country. That hospital is on the verge of collapse but the rest of the country is not.

Doctors in Fukuoka Prefecture are warning that they can only accept the most severe cases, despite an official bed occupancy rate of just 8.2 percent.

Totally understandable as Covid beds capacity is at 80% but serious case bed capacity is at 8%. They have space for cases as they transition from mild to serious.

I wonder why anyone would think that this now even bigger wave would have less ramifications on hospitals.

I made no such claim.

I had a quick look. Shukan Gendai, a bit of a rag of course, said in November that medical institutions can get 10,000 yen for doing a 'free PCR test' that costs them 3,000 yen. Unscrupulous institutions were having people take mutiple unnecessary tests. Most people should just take an antigen test themselves and isolate if it's positive. The beloved day's case number, already an understatement, will become more of an understatement. However, people with more serious issues will easier be dealt with.

This is very worrying.

There’s a direct association between machismo and the refusal to recognize and respond appropriately to the covid crisis. It’s a result of versions of masculinity in which selfishness and indifference – individualism taken to its extremes – are defining characteristics, and therefore caring and acting for the collective good is their antithesis.

Because it's not just about the people who die. Every day, some 15,000 infected need hospitalisation (people who recover at home are officially not counted into that number). Covid patients make for more than 50% of occupied hospital beds, some hospitals report as high as 95%. They are at the brink of collapsing.

Everything in that paragraph is verifiably false. As of 1/11:

29,346 out of 48,808 Covid beds are filled=60% of COVID BEDS. Not all hospital beds.

1,789 out of 5,613 serious case beds are filled=32%. Hardly on the brink of collapsing.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/hospital/

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10900000/001037520.pdf

If the definition of deaths by coronavirus are the same in Japan as since the first wave then this is really concerning.

Shouldn't we be more concerned if the definition changed?

A healthy person does not die of Covid, whatever the age. Most have already severe underlying conditions and must be protected or protect themselves

Buckle up lads, H5N1 is snowballing out of control globally including (especially) in Japan, and with exponential spread there is exponential risk of a random mutation that makes this suddenly highly transmissible in humans too… animal trials so far put it at over 50% mortality which would make Covid look like a rehearsal.

Wonder why the government isn’t concentrating fully on the elderly and those with medical conditions at this point.

I work in education and have seen personally hundreds get infected, but in Japan its 99% the elderly and ill that die.

Most others are good after a week, vaxxed or not.

I can tell vaccine are safe and effective !

They seem to be. people are desperate to get them

Private services offering Chinese travellers access to mRNA vaccines are attracting droves of mainlanders to Hong Kong and Macau seeking a booster shot that their government has refused to approve.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/13/chinese-flock-to-hong-kong-to-get-private-covid-booster-shots-mrna-vaccine

Slight drop, but here comes Kraken, the fastest spreading variant yet, which it is said will infect almost every one of us in the next few months.

Masks/hand sanitiser/partitions aren't going to make no difference. Best batten down the shutters, Japan.