Okinawa reports 1,414 new coronavirus cases; 922 in Tokyo

My ghosh! Cases up 40 times in Okinawa over one week. Tokyo as usual has tests capped to keep the numbers down.

No one is dying or getting sick so no need to panic

That is over a 1000% increase from last Friday!

You need less than 1000% increase to get to 10000 cases next Friday.

Whether you are pro or anti vaccines/lockdowns, this is a big problem!

I'm going to lock myself home!

It’s time to let this one go and move on. It’s like a break-up though, I suppose, it won’t happen overnight. Let the people get in touch with their feelings, and get through the various stages of grief. Meanwhile, there’s a whole other world out there, of possibilities and wonder and things , and I’ll be dead soon, too. As will you. Godspeed

No one is dying or getting sick so no need to panic

Factually wrong on both counts, but you already know this.

Tokyo is a giant liar.

Feel bad for the Okinawan people

R = 2.2 in Tokyo, and 2.3 nationwide. 5th wave is upon us. Be safe when you go outside.

Be safe when you go outside.

Of maybe just live as usual.

Although I don't want another quasi lockdown, it'd be nice if I'd be able to work from home again!

Interesting that the covid case count news is being coupled with U.S. bases. While restrictions may have been loose on U.S. bases, I don't think that's entirely the cause of Omicron's spread. But of course, it is a familiar narrative here to point the finger of blame at the outsiders.

You need less than 1000% increase to get to 10000 cases next Friday.

Actually you need at least 10,000 tests to get 10,000 cases and we all know that won't happen. Keep testing low, keep numbers low. Avoid panic, feel good.

Let me remind you that tests are available only for the very sick in Japan ..

I'm not sure this is true anymore. For example my prefecture is providing tests for every person at the Coming of Age ceremonies this weekend, and they also have a clinic nearby where anyone can get tested (limited to one test per week)

We're all working from home again because my idiot boss decided WFH was cancelled from Jan 5th.

Everyone had to be in the office, no excuses.

So we all went in, including someone with COVID.

Now the office is closed down again, and another 2M cleaning bill is on the way.

It took less than one working day to expose us all to risk. That's the fourth time he's done the same stupid thing.

Once again the numbers in Tokyo show us the proven best method of reducing COVID cases and not letting the numbers go out of control. Just restrict and keep testing as low as possible . No country does it better than Japan where the weekly pattern always shows less cases on weekends even in the middle of a rising curve.

Actually you need at least 10,000 tests to get 10,000 cases and we all know that won't happen. Keep testing low, keep numbers low. Avoid panic, feel good.

yep, I realize Tokyo will probably never see 5 figures because of its testing "strategy"

It always says here "new Coronavirus cases".

How much is this COVID (i.e. Delta) and how much Omicron.

Not that it would make such a big difference, just out of curiosity.

Still, increasing day by day, for how much longer?

Whether you are pro or anti vaccines/lockdowns, this is a big problem!

I'm pro vaccine and anti lockdown; now that 80% of Japanese are vaccinated and thereby at low risk of serious symptoms, there is absolutely no need for any business killing restrictions. Though, going by recent statements, I'm pretty sure Kishida will soon pull his trigger happy finger on another pointless State of Emergency.

But all that will mean is people will be go to restaurants that don't follow the guidelines.

It may not be serious for some, but you don't want to be the person being airlifted from a smaller Okinawan island to a large hospital in Naha at 2:47am by JSDF helicopter. That was the reality for someone two nights ago here. Taking the risk of a medi-vac means the patient's condition is already critical and it is the only way to save them.

While restrictions may have been loose on U.S. bases, I don't think that's entirely the cause of Omicron's spread. But of course, it is a familiar narrative here to point the finger of blame at the outsiders."

Yeah, they just love to pretend that Japanese are forever hard done by the gaijin. As if Omicron wouldn't spread here if it wasn't for the bases. There are no J- Inc salarymen travelling overseas on business trips and coming back , are there. Yet , the LDP voting retirees are happy to believe it.

What's the plan for boosters to the general population, or are we forced to go abroad again to get a timely shot?

It’s not exactly that they are still sleeping at those numbers shooting through the ceiling. No, the design for the booster announcement letters is already available to be admired on the health ministry’s website. Hopefully someone brings us the letters to our ICU or ECMO beds, that would be really generous, although too late anyway.

Gonna be well over 6k today, maybe even 7000. A week ago it was 500.

Omicron is here, no doubt.

Curious to see how many at the airports for int'l arrivals (so much for those border strict controls...)

Any guesses for what day we'll break the all time national high from last summer of 25,992??

I say Jan 15th. Anyone else?

Seems like the Kisha Club has found its new foreign target with US army repeating Okinawa's number in the headline.

What if, like in Western countries, US army is just testing more, esp. asymptomatic person, and Japan is not ?

People need to stop being so extreme and adapt a more sensical approach.

A lot of people are having a hard time accepting this new condition of life and death in our times.

It's a wake up call. We are not special. We are just fortunate to exist on a planet in the universe thanks to the mechanisms of particle physics, evolution, and our human ingenuity. Nothing is guaranteed, even our lives.

I totally get that people are exhausted and want to get back to normal.

Sorry that's not going to happen unless you're willing to sacrifice millions of people.

What's saddened me about the pandemic is all the people who are willing to write off elders and people with health conditions as already dead, so they can have more convenient lives.

Also the politicalization of the virus and vaccines.

We should all be doing what we can to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

But also do what we can to maintain our livelihoods. It doesn't have to be an extreme one way or another. Keep up with vaccines, wear tight masks around your nose and mouth. Restaurants need to convert to carry out during wave surges. They can use the same dishes, and bill for unreturned/damaged dishes.

Public transportation needs the windows down no matter how cold or rainy it is. Health over comfort.

Businesses should make sure air is circulating to reduce aerosols. Delta and Omnicron thrive on aerosol transmission.

Governments need to educate their populations on this, in a gentle way that won't cause panic. We need to work together as a species to get through this.

We need to stop believing our personal/brainwashed opinions and make informed decisions based on science.

Right now boosters should be reserved for the vulnerable and for countries where people have yet to receive their first shot so we can help them and stop further variants.

The demands for boosters from healthy people in first world countries is simply shocking.

Some people are just not okay with getting a mild cough or sore throat. We want to stop vulnerable people from dying and taking up hospital beds. After we do that, you can have your sniffles shields.

I very much hope we don't go the way of some other badly impacted countries with incompetent governments, like the UK, with over a million infections in the past week, over 15,000 hospitalisations and the army needing to be called in to treat patients in hospital as so many healthcare staff are off sick that the health system is being overwhelmed. The Japanese government's same old test less, look the other way , and dither for as long as possible policy risks this country getting to the same place, or worse than last year, when people were dying untreated at home.

Give me a break. The science says this variant is nothing serious.

Yes, but that’s still not valid, as the omicron only counts for about 25% globally, or let’s say, anything significant below 100%. So you still have a higher or remarkable probably to catch delta on average, which is more deadly. Raisin picking is nice, but only if all are raisins, you know…

There is hard evidence about the source of the omicron spread.

This is based on results of genomic analyses of virus samples taken from U.S. base workers and residents. It was a direct match.

Not disputing that the bases are one of the outbreak sources....my point is that even without the US military Omicron would be spreading here. Remember the J- girl whose boyfriend visited her twice during her supposed quarantine and then promptly went to watch a soccer game at Kashima stadium a month ago or so? There are numerous Japanese spreading it also atm but govt and media always love to point fingers at us foreigners.

The snow and ice are good timing - might keep a few people home.

I don't care for the blame game, however, Japan locked down quickly this time, they have been very strict with the quarantine and testing before arrival and upon arrival, however, it appears the US military do not hold the same standards and nor were they following Japan's rules. The first break out of the Omicron appears in Okinawa, and it was reported by the US military there were a high number of cases and with a high number of Okinawans working on the base and all the while living off can surely be traced back to the base. In addition, the US has a wicked number of cases of COVID and I believe in the millions, and with the military being primarily young men and women traveling the world and feeling safe having taken the vaccine and no mask mandate we must assume where it started from.

@Derek Grebe

"Now the office is closed down again, and another 2M cleaning bill is on the way.

It took less than one working day to expose us all to risk. That's the fourth time he's done the same stupid thing."

What is the point in cleaning ? The virus dies off on its own in the air and just need to ventilate less than an hour. For the infected surfaces, same just wait and don't lick your fingers within the next day.

Never heard of such measures about cleaning recommended by WHO or anywhere.

What is true is that one air drop is enough to contaminate other persons.

Scientific approach is best.

Let me remind you that tests are available only for the very sick in Japan ..

What I REALLY want to write here would be censored in a heartbeat, so to be PC I am just going to reply to you here with a "dude you have ZERO idea of what you are talking about!

Tests are free here in Okinawa until February 6th, for anyone and everyone, sick or otherwise, and the reason for the sudden jump is partially due to INCREASED testing of everyone who wants a test!

In fact, they are backlogged, and are not able to test everyone who wants one, SO the numbers are expected to rise over the next week or so!

Fortunately hospitals are only at at 25% of capacity as of yesterday, but the authorities are very worried those numbers will also change and possibly be the cause for a declaration of a "State of Emergency" for Okinawa

The first break out of the Omicron appears in Okinawa, 

Actually no it was Tokyo.

I'm pro vaccine and anti lockdown; now that 80% of Japanese are vaccinated and thereby at low risk of serious symptoms,

Dont look at the overall statistics, look regionally and specifically by prefecture.

Okinawa is only about 62% vaccinated, meaning more than 1/3 of the population is NOT!

If you have actual symptoms, then yes get yourself tested. The tests SHOULD be limited to those exhibiting symptoms. Otherwise, the hypochondriacs occupy capacity of actually ill people. It's like going to a cemetery to find out if you're dead.

nobody is panicking except the jgovt and the media

One coronavirus-related death was reported.

Still the same as yesterday. This is the only stat that I take seriously.

can’t wait to hit the slopes tomorrow!

BartoToday  05:19 pm JST

@Fiddlers

No one is dying or getting sick so no need to panic

Let me remind you that tests are available only for the very sick in Japan ..

Let me remind you that all deaths from COVID are reported.

> FYIToday  05:52 pm JST

thelonius

Interesting that the covid case count news is being coupled with U.S. bases. While restrictions may have been loose on U.S. bases, I don't think that's entirely the cause of Omicron's spread. But of course, it is a familiar narrative here to point the finger of blame at the outsiders.

Basically, the US Bases were the trojan horse of the omicron variant getting inside Japan. The border control measures were very strict for civilians but those in the US military did not have to get thoroughly tested and quarantine.

Read the news about a week ago and you'll see that the covid outbreaks first started on the US military bases. What makes matters worse was the US base command never responded to isolating these outbreaks. US personnel have been freely going out to the community and often not wearing masks. 

It is very evident where it started.

MISINFORMATION!!!

Omnicron was in Japan months prior to the USFJ outbreak.

What about the Japanese lady that returned from a trip, ignored quarantine requirements, then her boyfriend went to a soccer match with thousands of spectators?

While I condone the extreme complacency & lack of vigilant leadership of USFJ in this matter. The spread of Omnicron in Japan did NOT start with them!