Tokyo reports 1,026 new coronavirus cases; nationwide tally 3,853

Isn't that about 17% positivity?

They're only reporting the number of tests when it's a low percentage now lol. We were seeing 30%+ positives, now half the time the articles omit the number of tests. Anyway, glad to see that closing restaurants and bars at 8pm is working really well. lol.

Lot of good all that ego stroking did yesterday eh Japan? So is Japan ready to take the pandemic seriously now or naw?

I'd say I've noticed that Pachinko parlors and Karaoke are now more crowded than ever. They decided on closing restaurants on 20:00 down, but not touch pachinko and karaoke. So people will go from izakayas instead to karaoke, order long stay, uber eats there. Problem solved!

5,881 tests conducted on Jan 23. For the whole Tokyo? Or just few hospitals? Playing with numbers. Up until now, whole Japan has made less tests than various countries in Europe in a day. No tests, no numbers, no numbers = no problem! But the public doesn't realise it explains the sudden surge of infected people. Because if someone is in hospital, it's already too late

Robert Cikki: "They decided on closing restaurants on 20:00 down, but not touch pachinko and karaoke."

They tried it last time, but pachinko parlours outsmarted them by simply saying, "Ummm.... no." Then the government threatened to publish their names, and they outwitted them yet again with, "Ummm... okay." Then the government published their names on the news and in other media, and next day longer lines to get in. Government asked them to cooperate and they said, "Ummmm... no. But thanks for the free advertising. Business is better than ever."

So, they stopped making a show of being beaten by the slightest amount of protestation. They are scared of such places.

smithinjapan

So, they stopped making a show of being beaten by the slightest amount of protestation. They are scared of such places.

This.

So the number will increase (despite bold claims last summer that it will go down dramaticaly during the autumn/winter), they will wonder how is that possible, look into it.. Many things in here are like Ouroboros and never fails me to wonder, even after the decades here.

Numbers on the way down which is positive I suppose. Bring on the vaccines.

Excellent and am impressed daily.

96 in their 60s, 95 in their 70s and 86 in their 80s. Also, 72 cases were younger than 20 (27 of whom were younger than 10), health officials said.

27 Younger than 10, Worrying indeed, where are they contracting it from, obvious that

it is not from restaurants or izakayas. It is either at home from their parents or from their

friends at school. In countries that take this virus seriously, testing will be expanded to schools

to try and curb the spread or know the extend of the spread.

Next, 86 in their 80s., Vulnerable group, most probably living with families or in elderly homes,

probably, got infected by younger family members or workers in elderly homes. You will expect *

that there will be mandatory regular PCR tests for workers at elderly homes so as to prevent the

elderly they take care to contract the virus from those taking of them, nope no tests at all, well I guess

as some here say PCR test is a resource and resources are limited and cannot be wasted. yet the gov't

is offering private hospitals 20M yen for each bed created for serious corona cases.

Well maybe here prevention is not better than cure. The indifference and serious aversion to testing is mind boggling.

Impressed with what?... Wasn't yesterday's headline:

"New coronavirus cases in Tokyo fall to 618; lowest number since Dec 28" ??

It is exciting and pleasurable to watch how everything is going, and I really am totally impressed for what they are doing.

@Sandy; can you please elaborate on how you believe the government is doing well? Specifically.

Bet that disabled person in charge of the shredding machine is really busy at the momement? Today they fell behind, the government will try to make them work harder tomorrow and we will see the numbers drop.

@Sandy: you are commenting how great Japan is doing on a daily basis (not sure why), FYI, e.g. read this article, where Japanese doctors say the hospitals are full and this situation shouldn’t be in a country like Japan, but it is reality. People suffering other illnesses are dying in ambulances because they also cannot go into hospitals. The government had more than a year to prepare. It’s unforgivable. This is the definition of medical stangen collapse. The government promoted traveling and eating out in badly ventilated izakaya’s. No wonder the approval rate of Suga is falling in a deep dive. Japan has failed immensely, a country with opportunities to help its people prioritised the economy and the Olympia’s. This is a fact and it is a horrible act.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/01/26/national/coronavirus-hospitals-emergency-patients-japan/

MartiniToday 07:29 pm JST

@Sandy; can you please elaborate on how you believe the government is doing well? Specifically.

Of course I can. Look at the rest of the world and do some math. I rest my case.

I will get my PCR tomorrow in as I have to return to office now and hope not to catch the virus on the trains. Im horrified. cant believe the company is asking everyone to return to office regardless. I need to get a full face gasmask NATO level to stay safe on those cans of squash sardine trains here in Tokyo.

martini the uk promoted go to eat also. How well is the uk doing compared to here

@Mr. Martini: I had already read that article you put a URL, not linked but I read that when it was published.

I understand your stress about this whole situation.

One thing obvious is that you have not been here long. Ambulance personnel are not like US EMT trained. They know as much as the person teaching you CPR or how to use an AED, They are not licensed per say and cannot give cardiac recusitation. They cannot hook up monitors for body functions, do not have computers in there vans. Basically simple vans with sirens.

They are very similar to WW II ambulances out in the fields, except the American and Japanese medics were much closer to being nurses but not RN.

Ambulances here have been stuck at not being able to bring patients to hospitals for years, and if there are any medical personnel on this site they can tell you that that is true. The driver is on his cell phone trying to get a place to accept the patients, and sometimes you can wait hours, and if you pass away, so be it. It is not cruel, it is just the way the system works.

I do love the medicine here and think they do as best as they can. The ambulance staff put themselves on the line constantly and are dedicated.

@Sandy,

I’ve lived here for almost two decades and I understand the ambulance situation in Japan. This is not an excuse, and the hospitals are full; Japan had more than a year to prepare and make sufficient changes to both the medical system and not promote domestic travel and eating out. It’s as simple at that.

On another note commenting on your last sentence; the medical system here is indeed good compared to the States (I guess that’s where you’re from?). The EU medical systems and costs are a lot better than here.

@Liam; how is your notion that the UK had a go to eat campaign and has worse numbers than Japan an argument for the government in Japan doing a good job in promoting go to eat and travel?

This has been interesting since COVID, there (number wise) are countries which are better than Japan and countries which are worse than Japan. Still, Japan is the only country (including some folks here) where if anything is better it is boosting national pride and glorifying the Japanese people and the government. Additionally, similar to Sandy’s post, that “we have to understand the Japanese culture and history” as a fair reason for the bad stuff; bad ambulances have been here since WWII, so we have to understands that this is their culture and standard. Just like using a fax machine for 40 years now in all the offices here in Japan. Even if it could help save lives they won’t even change their systems.

I have a lot of respect for Japan, it’s culture and the people and love living here for so many years. However, I have always been opposed the nationalism here which is always feeding the discrimination and the sense of uniqueness. Heck, Japan is even proud of how uniquely unique they are. That’s why there were reports at the start of the pandemic on how the Japanese language was spreading corona less fast than English (as if all foreigners speak English in their home countries as well). And that government officials said to foreign leaders they have a higher cultural standard than foreigners (higher mindo). Those things make me sick.

Nippon Ichi, give me a break.

Everyday its like this,so many people frustrated because they dont understand the situation.

You dont have to understand, just keep an eye on the number of deaths. Ifits going up then its going bad. If its going down then its getting better.

Total shut down immediately .

The Tokyo virus is back on track with the Olympics in its sights.