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Relatives of virus dead question Japan's stay-at-home policy

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By YURI KAGEYAMA

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Relatives of virus dead question Japan's stay-at-home policy

So many question for many policies in Japan.

hundreds of people who have died while subject to jitaku ryoyo, or a policy of having some COVID-19 patients “recuperate at home."

Recuperate at home?  (自宅で療養) sorry but it's becoming kodokushi (孤独死). Especially situation for vaccinated Covid patient can worsen really fast.

Japan's local public health bureaus, responsible for arranging for the care of COVID-19 patients, struggled to find hospitals that would admit them. In some cases, ambulances were shunted from one hospital to the next.

But Japan find a way to treat Olympics participant who got infected by Covid.

29 ( +32 / -3 )

He was among hundreds of people who have died while subject to jitaku ryoyo, or a policy of having some COVID-19 patients “recuperate at home."

In many countries, those with the virus stay home to isolate and recover, but critics say that in Japan, a country with one of the most affordable and accessible health care systems, people have been denied hospital care, and the policy amounted to jitaku hochi, or “abandonment at home.”

How could we have had these relatively low hospitalization numbers without this? And maintained a policy of limited testing in the world's biggest metropolitan area? And held a Summer Olympics? And gone through the peak of the pandemic without a lockdown like in other nations? And therefore not have to provide financial relief to the populace as many lost jobs and income?

Speaking up takes courage in a conformist society like Japan, and class action lawsuits are rare. But Kaori Takada, Takeuchi's sister, and others in her group believe their loved ones were denied the medical care they deserved.

Somebody has to lose so the status quo can be maintained.

22 ( +24 / -2 )

When he didn't answer phone calls from public health workers for three days, police went to his home and found him dead in his bed.

Someone is seriously ill, doesn’t answer his phone, and it takes them 3 days to check on him?

41 ( +42 / -1 )

Deny testing, deny access to hospitals, deny the truth, donate vaccines to overseas to lift image. Even the CCP is better than that

18 ( +34 / -16 )

"recuperate at home" isn't synonymous with 'die at home', or even 'ride it out alone at home'.... but hey, sounds gentle and caring.

25 ( +25 / -0 )

Thank goodness Japan did not do the same thing as New York and put infected COVID patients in seniors' homes.

-11 ( +11 / -22 )

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also promised to have health care workers routinely visit COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms at home.

And if one more person dies while at home, and there was no health care worker attending to them "routinely", which by the way, gives you an "out", as routinely means different things to different people, will you also resign for not keeping it?

11 ( +12 / -1 )

All the figures given by the Govt have been BS from the very beginning. Why? The Olympics and saving face.

24 ( +29 / -5 )

Outside Japan those with mild Covid stayed at home but did have access to primary health care services. In Japan people who needed medical attention were left at home with no primary health care support as the health system was not adapted to cope.

24 ( +24 / -0 )

Politicians shouldn't be in charge of this kind of stuff. They don't care about their constituents in any country, but with Japan's one-party system, they don't even have to pretend like they do.

Being this unprepared during a fourth wave and after a year and a half is completely inexcusable, but I guess keeping numbers low and investing money in Olympic infrastructure was worth it to some. No glory of the world seeing how Japan is sugoi is going to bring back the loved ones of these grieving families.

17 ( +18 / -1 )

The LDP's mask is slipping and, if a winter surge of Covid comes with some real numbers, the brutal face of Japan's "caring society" will be fully unmasked. And yet, like in other countries, those in government responsible for avoidable mortality numbers on a massive scale will hardly be held to account since they are safely vaccinated by their win-win positions of power against having to suffer any personal consequences.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

I agree. There must be a public class action law suit for sure.

13 ( +17 / -4 )

This was actually never practical.

With thousands infected every single day there were never going to be beds available for Covid patients and the other patients who needed a bed too.

the whole point was to stop the whole health care system collapsing. Or running out of ICU beds.

if anyone needs a hospital and is sick, never call a administrator , get yourself to an A&E department,get triaged, and let the medics decide and stabilize you first, then the bed can be organized, wether that is at the same hospital or a transfer or reassured and sent home.

as for the cost of Japanese health care as a reason to question the home treatment. Europe, has some of the most affordable health care too and even they couldn’t give everyone a bed.

Sometimes you have to rock the boat a bit, especially when it’s YOUR health.

11 ( +15 / -4 )

Michael MachidaToday  08:14 am JST

I agree. There must be a public class action law suit for sure.

The state run judicial system, if it can’t find away to dismiss the case, will simply award such a small insignificant amount to protect the system and deter people from filing law suits which is their exact intention.

Case closed…next!

12 ( +13 / -1 )

The private hospitals in Japan have blood on their hands it’s really that simple.

16 ( +18 / -2 )

The health system wasn't stretched thin.....there were plenty empty hospital beds.....hospitals were allowed to turn away patients....THIS is the problem. What kind of medical institution or prefessional turns away patients in desperate need of care?! Sickens me

23 ( +23 / -0 )

A poor showing by Japan. Hang your heads in shame. You might boast about your reported numbers, but here is the reality.

Rest in peace to those that were failed.

15 ( +17 / -2 )

Outside Japan those with mild Covid stayed at home but did have access to primary health care services. In Japan people who needed medical attention were left at home with no primary health care support as the health system was not adapted to cope..

It's not really like that people in no/mild symptoms got worse at home in the absence of care. During the 4-5th waves early this year, most hospital beds were occupied by non-serious patients or non-patients while serious patients and high risk people were forcibly left at home, resulting in many deaths outside hospitals. The misguided prioritization, misdistribution of healthcare resources and shortage of facilities accommodating the majority of people in no/mild symptoms were the main reason behind the tragedy.

In Japan, primary care services (or healthcare division of labors) are not yet prevailing. Perhaps the current pandemic will push for reforms even though some healthcare workers are hesitant and uncooperative for fear of losing vested interests. I support wider online use for medical services at entry levels, but face resistance.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

The Health Ministry said it provided up to 100,000 yen per bed for COVID-19 patients.

There’s that magic number again which, mantra-like, they believe, in any and all circumstances, has talismanic power to make everything hunky dory.

”Japan has done nothing. There’s been no leadership”

Not what our Candide channeling resident amen corner want us to believe that the health care system in no way resembles the story of the satorially challenged emperor.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

...and the same party was re-elected into office a couple of months later.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Numbers don't lie, but liers produce numbers. Total of covid-19 cases and deaths are a great mistery, despite the richness of the country it took too long to start vaccination and was a shame the way they handled the first cases in the Yokohama cruise ship, allowing people to get out the boat due to their relationships...

10 ( +15 / -5 )

Good article on a terrible miscarriage of what should be a prime healthcare system.

There are three things about the healthcare system that have turned it into a tragedy.

First, there is practically no sense of crisis management in Japan. When everything has changed the system goes on as before and terrible things happen, as we have seen with Suga's "go to" and the hideous Olympics.

Second, there are the mom and pop hospitals that either cannot or will not accommodate pandemic victims. The LDP government is either unwilling or helpless in giving hospital beds and care to pandemic victims.

Third, in the healthcare world in Japan getting healthcare too often depends on who you know. Mine and I have been lucky in that regard. There is a lot of lugubrious bureaucracy in Japan's big hospitals and you can bet that getting hospital beds requires "angels," if you catch my meaning.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

japanese leadership did nothing.

could not agree more.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Red tapes and peacetime regulations regarding infectious diseases were responsible for many deaths at home without proper care. In Japan, despite smaller causality, Covid-19 is still categorized almost the same as deadly Ebola, SARS or HIV. Accordingly the public health centres and designated hospitals shall first and only deal with the covid case. In other words, up until recently, most ordinary hospitals and individual clinics were not allowed to look after covid patients directly and immediately on the spot without consultation with the centres (maybe info were exchanged via snail fax and paperwork...). Such is a very time-consuming process despite critical life-saving moments. Many lives could have been saved had ordinary hospitals been able to treat them just like seasonal flu outpatients whose category level is at much lower.

Since long I've been accusing uncooperative hospitals of cheating on covid relief funds on ethical grounds. But that's not at all the whole story, for the core problem is rather systemic.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

The government has blood on their hands. By refusing (until recently) to allow off-label use of certain cheap and safe medications that have proven themselves to be effective at both preventing this disease and curing it if given in the early stages, they have needlessly condemned thousands to death or terrible illness.

The usual suspects will of course protest this, but experience overseas by the doctors of the FLCCC and others show that deaths like that of the person in this article can most likely be prevented with early intervention. This negates the need to admit patients to hospital in most cases, freeing up resources to deal with other problems. But the practice of just sending someone home with no effective treatment when there is some available, only to have them come back when they're seriously ill, is tantamount to criminal negligence at best.

3 ( +9 / -6 )

Thank goodness Japan did not do the same thing as New York and put infected COVID patients in seniors' homes.

yet NY CA have some of the lowest infections per capita in the US now, yes even lower than FL TX, red states leading the way,

thank goodness Japan didnt just open up in the middle of the pandemic with many just refusing to wear masks or vaccinate.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1109004/coronavirus-covid19-cases-rate-us-americans-by-state/

-1 ( +8 / -9 )

blue in green

Everything you have said in your post is absolutely true. When I post the same sort of facts.

There would never have been deaths if people were given a cheap course ov Ivermectin. Ivermectin stops the infections within hours. Main doctors group in Japan asked the government to give Ivermectin but they obviously refused. The real reason why Ivermectin or Hydroxychloroquine is banned is because Phizer stipulated that in the condition for supplying the " so called vaccines " that other forms of medical treatment were not to be used.

-4 ( +7 / -11 )

With the SDF basically sitting on its hands I still can't fathom why they weren't put to work running makeshift hospitals!!??

6 ( +7 / -1 )

No other nation turned away patients like this, even countries that had far more cases. The idea of doctors not seeing patients should be out of the question. If you are a doctor, you have to take care of the sick," Yamamoto said.

“Japan has done nothing. There has been no leadership," he said.

Tragic tale of neglect in the hours of need. Broken systems that refuse to be fixed run by people with a meek and timid mindset, unable ( unwilling? ) to rally enough energy to do what has to be done. Must be heartbreaking for those that lost loved ones, forced to die alone at home.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

typical "bury your head in the sand and hope the problem goes away" Japanese politics

12 ( +14 / -2 )

Kishida’s predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, resigned after only a year in office, mainly because of widespread dissatisfaction with the government’s pandemic response.

Only to elect the same cronies back into office with the chairs shuffled nullifying any widespread dissatisfaction with being denied health care and thus embracing abandonment at home and the Olympics. Choices have consequences

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Cherished family members suffered and died at home because they were denied medical care the deserved.

So sad !

Incompetent healthcare system.

Japan's emergency response to the pandemic was pathetic

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Very sad. The only good point is that the media is finally focusing on this. I feel like the last year was full of lies from the government.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

@proxy

Thank goodness Japan did not do the same thing as New York and put infected COVID patients in seniors' homes.

Seems they preferred to target psychiatric hospital.

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14441430

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Japan's policy is to make it so incredibly difficult to get tested and then treatment if necessary so that they can avoid doing the bare minimum of work, and then boast about low numbers. And of course, when the virus dead come up it is often blamed on something else like "pneumonia" (not brought on by Covid). I was sick over the weekend and was told by my office to get a PCR test and I STILL can't get one, it is so tough to do so, be it hospitals saying you need a doctor's referral and then doctor's saying you can't go their clinic because you have a fever (but a fever being one of the criteria for testing), to nothing being open on the weekend, save one clinic that, again, needs a doctor's referral and doesn't want people with fevers, to even websites not letting you register for a test at a hospital because you don't have Kanji and the field requires it to register. Basically, if you have the symptoms and need testing or treatment, don't come. If you don't, don't come because you don't need testing/treatment. Telling people to stay home while they could have it is just negligent, to say the least. They should be sued in the millions (dollars, not yen) for each and every death, clinics that denied people closed down, etc.

12 ( +16 / -4 )

tom:

Deny testing, deny access to hospitals, deny the truth, donate vaccines to overseas to lift image. Even the CCP is better than that

So true. The LDP can make as many promises as they like, but these people are already dead. The Chinese response was to build a large hospital in record speed, and this was right at the start.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

Resources were improperly managed, including widespread hospitalizations of people who didn't need it, he said.

Now this I was recently a witness to first hand.

Ok Haven't posted much lately, why? Because 2 weeks ago my family hereditary Russian roulette caught up with me and a suffered a massive heart attack!

I was in ICU and received great care but even once I Left ICU due to "covid restrictions" 2 weeks without a single visitor.

Meanwhile I would see these "groups" of people arrive as if they were visiting an Onsen.

None were actually sick, This was some sort of "health check"/*cleansing week".

I go frustrating for those of us that were actually sick and had no social contract, while these people sat in the lounge laughing chatting as if they were in vacation.

I found out from one of my roommates who had been in hospital for 3 months that this was a regular thing with these groups arriving and leaving every Monday and Friday all over 65 and the official medical reason marked as "rehab

5 ( +11 / -6 )

In New York, for instance, hospitals were quickly converted, adding thousands of extra beds and ICUs for virus patients. A Navy medical ship and other facilities were turned into makeshift hospitals. At the outbreak's peak in April 2020, there were more than 1,600 new hospitalizations a day citywide.

and yet thousand covid positives were sent into nursing homes, thousands more died at home and hospice and in prisons. and NY's death toll was at 54,000.

NY's COVID count excludes deaths at home, hospice and prisons, unlike CDC

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2021/07/14/ny-covid-death-count-cdc/7964537002/

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

Deny testing, deny access to hospitals, deny the truth, donate vaccines to overseas to lift image. Even the CCP is better than that

and have the lowest death rate in the world, the highest vaccination rate and the best covid.

Deny the truth indeed.

-10 ( +2 / -12 )

So, at 5:30 AM this morning, JT deleted my post from yesterday about this article. Then they made it and article on cover of the website.

This outfit is a joke!!!

11 ( +13 / -2 )

The police were reporting over a year about unexplained deaths at residences that they "suspected" as COVID related, but diagnosis as some other reason. Never admitted into hospital, so they do not count on the records. Add that to the private hospitals also refusing patients because they did not want to lose business. The pregnant woman lost her baby for that same reason.

Remember, Japan does not do autopsies. No report means it does not exist. False numbers are being reported.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

Ok Haven't posted much lately, why? Because 2 weeks ago my family hereditary Russian roulette caught up with me and a suffered a massive heart attack!

So sorry to hear that. I am glad you survived! Please take care and hope the medical system can fully support you.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Antiquesaving:

Yikes! Glad to hear you're on the mend.

Bon rétablissement.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Ok I pointed out my own medical issue to give context as to what I was seeing during my hospitalisation.

The medical centre I was in was a fairly large and important one in my region.

But seems that these "rehabilitation" sessions involving what are clearly large groups of friends, using the "rehabilitation" more as a week of rest and relaxation situation.

And I have asked around and it seems this is a common money making practice for private hospitals.

Groups of over 65 enter for 3 or 4 days for "rehabilitation and tests" when what they are really doing is getting, hot tub baths, food, massage, and blood test or 2 then go home.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Japan needs to be held accountable. What exactly does that mean, if anything?

The dispersal of hospital beds for SARSCoV-2 is limited to specific healthcare facilities. There are designated hotels available, but this is limited geographically. The problem, simply stated, private hospitals determine their own policies. It requires a dedicated wing, with exceptional standards in place: personnel, physicians, equipment, isolation wards and numerous other requirements. Public hospitals are under a differing set of regulations and controlled by a governing authority and can be compelled to admit covid patients - nonetheless, it requires dedicated wards properly equipped and staffed.

The death of anyone is regrettable. More so when they are younger and have not lived a full life.

The exact circumstances of his passing are unknown - as stated in the article, excepting healthcare workers were not able to reach him by phone for three days and police found he had died at home.

The reference to 231,000 SARSCoV-2, in August - that is a meaningless number as it reaches across an entire month, nor is it wedded to a specific area or on a per daily basis.

This is rather confusing, as if they did not speak about the nature of his illness and he has passed away, how would anyone know this other than 'idle speculation': "They spoke on the phone right before he was diagnosed, but he did not tell her he was sick alone at home. Given widespread phobias in Japan about COVID-19, he didn't want word to get out."

Continually there are references to ambulance driving around looking for a hospital that take SARSCoV-2 patients. This presupposes an inability to use the telephone. Let alone an awareness by ambulance services & personnel to be aware which hospitals accept covid patients, which after a determinant time period should be well known.

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

There has been harping in posts, about the Russian vaccine and response to SARSCoV-2, as somehow superior to the response in Japan. This is patently untrue. The Russian vaccine has limited testing under questionable circumstance. Available, actual scientific studies that exhibit rigorous testing of the efficacy note it is less successful than Moderna, Pfizer, Oxford and J&J. Russian vaccine(s) hover(s) in the 80 percentile, if not lower. Moderna & Pfizer the mainstay of immunization in Japan are in the 95% range.

The number of infections and deaths in Russia: well over nine million cases of infection and over 500,000 deaths. Japan, number of infections; just under 1.8 million infections and just over 18,000 deaths.

Japan and Russia share similar population sized, with Russia slightly larger. Japan, however tardy in administering vaccines has a vaccination rate of almost 80%. Russia less than 40%.

Japan, in spite of screw-ups, as with Yoshihiko Takeuchi, are more than unfortunate. The response over the last several months has ensured successful immunization of a majority of the population. This is not because of a government response, but is so-to-speak, of the people.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Yet no class action

Yet same LDP votes

Yet unbelievable figures

Empathy is inexistent.

Japan in all its little known "glory".

7 ( +7 / -0 )

That decision by Suga was a complete abandonment of his responsibilities for the peoples welfare in Japan. He should be criminally held accountable for the deaths caused by his advice, there was no scientific nor medical support for it . People are too naive and trust the government with their lives and this is the outcome...

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Wow, a Japanese person actually speaking out.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

A bit late, but still nice to read more individuals have recognized this pandemic was real, and that the disease was serious. Those who denied its existence and downplayed its severity contributed to problems.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I wonder how many covid victims have died at home, that have not gone on the official register? may be they have been put down as "natural causes" thus making some one look better.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

That decision by Suga was a complete abandonment of his responsibilities for the peoples welfare in Japan. He should be criminally held accountable for the deaths caused by his advice, there was no scientific nor medical support for it . People are too naive and trust the government with their lives and this is the outcome...

It goes back even further. This responsibility of this poor situation falls on Shinzo Abe. He followed Trump's failed response. Then bowed out under suspicious circumstances under the the weight of the scandals and incompetence that was coming to light.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

It is all speculation. Nobody knows if a hospitalization would have had a different outcome. However, asking patients to stay at home alone without regularly checking up on them is clearly wrong.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Omi should step down whatever. there are two wonders in Japan in relation to Covid-19, one is why it cannot expande PCR tests still now, and the other is docotors are allowed to not being engaged in treating suspected patients at all.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Regrettable and sad.

I'm glad the situation is better now.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Also, why is the memorial word in English?

Weird. I doubt he says that when he dies.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

zichiToday  06:24 pm JST

All home deaths for 2020 and 2021 should be counted as covid deaths.

What evidence do you have to justify that?

1 ( +6 / -5 )

The government has blood on their hands. By refusing (until recently) to allow off-label use of certain cheap and safe medications that have proven themselves to be effective at both preventing this disease and curing it if given in the early stages, they have needlessly condemned thousands to death or terrible illness.

Exactly, thousands have died needlessly, because of the governement's insistence on more and more studies. But for the new (expensive) drugs, single small-scale studies (data not made public) are enough for the government. But there are never enough studies for the repurposed drugs, which already have amazing safety profiles and have been shown to be highly effective.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

That medical facilities were allowed to turn away the sick is unacceptable, that any so called doctor should do so is grounds for their being struck off. Moral cowardice and greed of the highest order.

The Japanese government has comprehensively, repeatedly and utterly failed in its responsibilities to the Japanese people and demonstrated a complete lack of competence and leadership in this crisis.

These pointless, inadequate parasitic little hospitals need to be nationalised and rationalised in to an effective and comprehensive National health system. There are plenty of examples in Europe they could learn from and adapt to Japan.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

In many countries, those with the virus stay home to isolate and recover...

I find this to be at odds with the narrative that Covid is so deadly we have to take extreme measures to combat it such as hard lock downs, forced vaccinations etc.

Besides being told to stay at home most of these patients are not being given any medication whatsoever. This is criminal medical malpractice.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

From the article and what many realistic people repeated here :

No one knows exactly how many died at home

But yeah, trust the official numbers ...

4 ( +5 / -1 )

But there are never enough studies for the repurposed drugs, which already have amazing safety profiles and have been shown to be highly effective.

Of course they are enough, the problem is not with the government listening to the studies, the problem is people that keep pushing those drugs (ivermecting and HCQ for example) even when the studies clearly point out they are not useful.

I find this to be at odds with the narrative that Covid is so deadly we have to take extreme measures to combat it such as hard lock downs, forced vaccinations etc.

Millions of people die of COVID, that can't be denied. That do justify having strong social distancing measures, and to only let people that are vaccinated to replace some of them (not as you mistakenly say "forcing" the vaccinations).

3 ( +6 / -3 )

gakinotsukaiToday  06:58 pm JST

From the article and what many realistic people repeated here :

No one knows exactly how many died at home

But yeah, trust the official numbers ...

As I could understand this sentence is talking about common people and not about people who are encharged to give the account number. Off course common people don't know exactly how many people died at home since we as common people don't have information about it, but that doesn't mean the government is not aware about it.

When he didn't answer phone calls from public health workers for three days, police went to his home and found him dead in his bed.

From this sentence we can infer that police get the information and them reported it to Public Healthy workers

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Because home deaths are not being listed as covid deaths. Only those in a hospital. Better to overestimate the figures than underestimate them. The figures will still be low. In 2020, there were a total of fewer deaths than in 2019.

That is interesting. I read the whole article and there is nothing that suggest that deaths at home are not counted as covid deaths. Anyway, if you guys have a link that provides information about it, it would be interesting to read.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

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