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© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020.72 new coronavirus cases in Tokyo on Sunday; lowest daily tally since April 1
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geronimo2006
Good, but out of how many people tested?
Tom
It is golden week kids and almost all of the clinics near me, actually 100% of them are closed.
oldman_13
Good job Japan, so much for the naysayers that were wishing for more coronaviruses and cases just to prove their twisted biases.
mmwkdw
So it's back to normality soon! Been getting used to working from home... no commute, wearing what I like... if anything... quite relaxed, and am able to focus more... without interruptions.
Mirai Hayashi
geronimo2006
That's precisely why the numbers are low. The numbers are the lowest on Sundays, because they are testing less people. Tomorrow, we'll be back up to 3 digits.
natsu823
Less testing on Sundays in Japan most clinics are closed.
carpslidy
@Mirai Hayashi
Sunday 19 107 positive
Sunday 26 72 positive
Sunday 19 14 deaths nationwide
Sunday 26 12 deaths nationwide
Your panic posts is getting less valid everyday.
Jsapc
I have several friends who are on the brink of or have already lost their livelihood, people who had to close their bar or live houses they've had for +10 years. I'm sad for them and angry. But I'm not angry at the fact that there's a lockdown. I'm angry at the government's inability to implement sound economical plans and help those in need. I'm angry at them doing all they can to save their precious Olympics instead of focusing their efforts on protecting their citizens, not only from the disease, but also from poverty. None of you should be criticizing and looking down on people who are simply scared or worried of what the reality of a worldwide pandemic is. You should only be focusing your contempt on Shinzo Abe and his government.
didou
Numbers are low because simply speaking, the risk has always been low. We are in a country of 128 millions. In term of statistics, a few hundred a days is very low such a country. The State of Emergency did create more fear among people through all that low numbers and countermeasures taken. Now I see these plastic sheets in every supermarkets and combinis, staff wearing gloves, social distancing starting, not shopping when too many customers already inside the shop..... This just creates more fear and make you believe everyone around is a potential virus spreader. I have met some people really really scared.. In my city of 90000,only 2 cases reported in March and 1 in April and we must endure all that stuff. There is no clear reasoning behind that. It is not logical at all for me. I am far away from Tokyo not to stay home.
Do the hustle
These are new cases from very limited testing. I suppose by not expanding the testing they are able to record less new cases and boast about statistics. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
Bruce Chatwin
Tokyo needs to increase the number of people it tests. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, a whopping 237 people were PCR tested in Tokyo on April 22. Only 167 were tested on April 21. 167 tests in a city of 14 million people.
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/
With a testing rate of 1,169 tests per million people, Japan currently ranks 70th out of 85 countries when it comes to testing for COVID-19. Albania, Nepal, Vietnam, Ecuador, and Ukraine all report testing at higher rates than Japan. No other G7 countries tests at a lower rate than Japan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_testing
With a population of 126.5 million, Japan has tested a grand total of 149,700 people. That is 0.12% of the total population. Let that sink in, 0.12% of the population has been tested. Germany has tested 2.5% of its population; that's 20 times Japan's rate.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000164708_00001.html
On April 6th, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Japan would boost its capacity for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the novel coronavirus to 20,000 per day. Since April 6th, there has not been one day where more than 10,000 people have been tested. There's been one day where more than 9,000 people have been tested, one day where more than 8,000 people were tested, one day where more than 6,000 people were tested, while for the rest, according to Toyo Keizais data, the average is less than 4,000 people being tested per day.
https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2020040600825/japan-to-raise-pcr-test-capacity-to-20-000-per-day-abe.html
https://toyokeizai.net/sp/visual/tko/covid19/en.html
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1038/
What's the problem with the testing? If only to stop the rumour mill from churning out theories to explain the lack of testing, the government needs to explain why it is not testing.
Bruce Chatwin
I believe that you usually need to got to a clinic first to get a referral to a hospital.
noriahojanen
.... So what? No other G7 countries but Japan has had a lower death toll, still continued to get more outpaced by other G7 members over time on this critical figure). More testing is not the ultimate goal for Japan. It is more vital to save lives while maintaining healthcare resources.
It's an open secret that there are many more unconfirmed cases, say by 50-100 times higher than detected numbers. I wouldn't get surprised, nor bothered. It reveals that the case fatality rate in Japan is lower than 0.1% (= cfr for seasonal flu).
Serrano
@carpslidy Enjoy your drive, you'll be supporting the economy which are taking a huge hit now.
Do some walking and exercise too while social distancing.
drlucifer
Without increased testing and release of other diseases daily fatality data, the suspicion will only increase because the measures taken and the results don't correlate when compared with other countries. Look at the china numbers, it is now apparent that it is massively under reported when judged from the situation in Europe and the U.S
They even felt guilt at their extremely low numbers and had to raise the number of fatalities.
There is no way Germany will have higher numbers than china.
n1k1
@Mirai I completely understand your point of view and in all honesty you aren't completely wrong. Yes we don't know everything about the virus, Yes the lock-down and testing will help slow the spread down. But you have to see this from a different perspective too.
Can we lock-down/test non stop/ run away from the virus for 2 years ? ( i think this the time needed for the vaccine development) . And what if it doesn't work or god forbid there is some unknown side effect associated with it in 5 years from now that also kills people.
Even if some of us manage to escape I am certain things won't go as smooth in the poorer parts of the world and this will come back. In fact, it can just jump from animal to human again, remember ?; there was sars, there was mers now this.
Relaxed lock-down ( weak and old only ), mandatory masks, social distance, hygiene and just gamble with the young and healthy (the sweden way.. thanks @Herve) is likely the best we can do. Let our bodies (the true doctors) figure this out. It is not like ebola enough of us can beat the virus.
Look at the numbers more like trends not like absolute god given truth. No country can and will do this, there is bussines, there are election there is lots of noise around the numbers. Yes not even South Korea, there for example avigan was used but they can't talk about it because I don't know it is Japanese and it will make them look bad.
It just has to be like that, there is no silver bullet. well not for now. Hope you can relax a bit. If you do have someone close the smart thing to do is rent a house somewhere in the japanese inaka and wait for avaccine any vaccine.
noriahojanen
In Osaka there are 16 new cases. Technicality suggests the tendency of lower numbers reported during weekend. But we still don't see any exponential pattern.
Since late Feb we've been warned of "Within two weeks' time, Tokyo will be another NYC!!" type of prophecy... Is it still valid? In NY there are 437 deaths yesterday (not confirmed cases).
nakanoguy01
clinics don’t do any testing. only hospitals are allowed to test for the virus.
72 is a believable figure since there’s been a gradual decrease since the peak a week ago. And since this is the third week of the lockdown you’ll see these numbers continue to decrease. Anyone brave enough to bet me?
Mirai Hayashi
We know very little about covid19. We don't know why it kills some people in a matter of days, while others seem to recover with having very little symptoms. We don't know why NYC has such high numbers of deaths, while Tokyo has relatively lower mortality rates. We don't know how may asymptomatic people are out there, and how many more people are going to get sick or die, because they refuse to practice social distancing. And we don't know how to cure or vaccinate for this virus yet.
What we do know is that social distancing seems to work if we do it right and not some half assed way to keep business owners happy.
It seems madness that we close the country and bankrupt people over 300,400,500 hundred deaths
And yes, FYI, 300, 400, 500 lives DO MATTER, and I am sure you'd agree if those numbers included someone you know. The economy will eventually come back; dead loved ones won't.
This virus does not chose who its going infect. It will infect and sicken anyone regardless of who you are so why not be considerate to others and practice social distancing. You don't have to do it for me or anyone posting here, but you should do it for your family at least, because it can and does affect them.
Any death is a tragedy for those families but unfortunately people die everyday peopled died before 2020 too.
You seem to not value life as you do money. Here's something to consider: without people, there is no economy, there are no businesses. If you want the economy to recover quickly as I do, then you reduce people contact until there is a consistent trend of reduced infections and deaths, and no sooner.
Bruce Chatwin
On April 6th, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Japan would boost its capacity for PCR testing for the coronavirus to 20,000 per day.
Since April 6th, there has not been one day where more than 10,000 people have been tested.
There's been one day where more than 9,000 people have been tested, one day where more than 8,000 people were tested, one day where more than 6,000 people were tested.
According to Toyo Keizai's data, the daily average number of people tested since April 6th is 4,100.
https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2020040600825/japan-to-raise-pcr-test-capacity-to-20-000-per-day-abe.html
https://toyokeizai.net/sp/visual/tko/covid19/en.html
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1038/
therougou
Perhaps not, but the flu is similar. I've never felt I had the flu, but I'm sure I have. Including this year when my wife and both kids had it. In fact, 77% of flu infections have no symptoms. So nothing new here.
Look at the areas of NYC that are hardest hit and you'll have your answer.
It's easy to say if you aren't said business owner. They don't want to be happy, they just want to provide for their families and employees.
We can't say if or when the economy will come back, but it is very likely 300,400, 500 people will commit suicide before then.
Akula
It's amazing how much fear mongering there has been over this virus. History will show that Japan has achieved a reasonable balance of keeping the economy going and keeping infections down.
Well done PM Abe for handling this so called pandemic well.
theResident
@n1k1: What an excellent and sensible post to wake up to this morning. I didn't catch up with the website until late last night and was saw more of Mirai's posts which are just the same over and over again just preaching for a complete lockdown which as he/she well knows is impossible in Japan anyway.
There does have to be a balances approach to this and I wish more would step back and take a look at the big picture. Yes - the effects of this virus are devestatng, period. But we MUST accept that there is not going to be a vaccine for a long long time and we, as a world have to continue. Yes , many countries have clearly done a better job than others and as for Japan, well we all know that we will probably never know the true extent of infection here. But I hope and think and I think it is becoming the general consensus amongst most level headed people that what happened in NYC is not going to happen here if they at least the current 'loose lockdown' continues.
It would appear that the virus has mutated into at least 3 strains (for example a more Europe centric version was responsible for the initial outbreak in NYC) - making a successful vaccine a more distant prospect.
We cannot continue as present for much longer like this thought, Peoples mental health for LOTS of reasons will start to suffer immensely - The Economy is already looking so bad that many of us will lose our jobs shortly, and if not in a few months as I don't really see the everybody just starting over as if nothing happened. Consumer spending will be awful. People will not eat out - Massive snowball effect.
Lets continue with the SOE of 3 more weeks - get the Tokyo number down to between 50-100 a day and relative number elsewhere and get things moving again. Children need to be at School just for starters. Shield the elderly. protect those with underlying health problems. I may well end up in hospital - so may anybody here, but I am beginning to believe that herd immunity may be the only way to beat this.
carpslidy
@mirai
Wow, you are one negative hysterical person.
The virus doesn't scare me, people like you do.
Anyway, its a beautiful day we are going for a drive.
Bruce Chatwin
This article by NHK, which usually does the govt's bidding, is an interesting read:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1038/
Sps-Blaka
It’s all about testing...
Andrew Cuomo (NY governor) said some 5,000 pharmacies would be able to carry out testing, with the aim to provide 40,000 per day.
Japan’s living in the dark ages...
Strangerland
The laborers must get back to work so the capital can once again begin flowing. The capitalists are not able to increase their capital when the laborers aren’t laboring.
Bruce Chatwin
Japan performs autopsies at the lowest rate in the developed world.
Professor Ikegaya, Chairman of Department of Forensic Medicine of the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine wrote in the respected journal Nature: "Autopsies in Japan are performed on only 1.6% of all deaths, the lowest rate among developed countries. Cause of death is almost always determined by simple visual inspection, as it was 100 years ago."
https://www.nature.com/articles/507306e
Word salad.
It reveals that the case fatality rate in Japan is lower than 0.1% (= cfr for seasonal flu).
What is "it"?
SJ
The published COVID-19 data in the web sites of the Japanese government (NIID) and Tokyo are difficult to interpret, as they are not well compiled and summarized.
The ratio of confirmed to tested number of people in Tokyo has decreased during the past week approximately from 60% to 40%, according to the chart I made for myself:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49822192972_97c89ae09d_b.jpg
The ratio (blue) and the number of tested people (red) in a 7-day moving average compiled from https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/
The ratio of Tokyo (40-60%) is higher than S. Korea in its peak days (1-6%) by a factor of 10. In S. Korea, it peaked at 6% on Feb 29, but thereafter dropped below 1%. Yesterday it was 0.32% in S. Korea: https://www.cdc.go.kr/board/board.es?mid=a20501000000&bid=0015
Bruce Chatwin
According to a recent NHK article:
A doctor at a clinic in northern Tokyo spoke to NHK about the problems with Japan's testing system, on the condition of anonymity. His practice is one of the few in the region to specialize in respiratory and infectious diseases. He has treated many patients who were likely to be infected with the coronavirus. But he says getting them tested has not been easy.
If a person thinks they may be infected with the coronavirus, the government urges them to consult their doctor or call a public health center. Then, if the doctor determines they should be tested, the person visits a designated hospital. But the respiratory specialist says that in practice, it is a much more difficult process.
To determine whether a patient fits the criteria for a test, the specialist says he has to conduct a series of checkups, including blood tests, X-rays, and flu sampling. This time-consuming process is done in order to eliminate the possibility that the patient has a different illness. And even if he determines that the patient is likely to have the coronavirus, the specialist says the biggest hurdle is calling the local health center to request a test. He says this is almost always rejected.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1038/
fillmore2
this and other news media needs to talk about what needs to be done, instead of just reporting the numbers,
stop being a sheep,
times like this it's ok to be wolf once a while,
socrateos
nakanoguy01:
Clinics do testing.
For example, Fjimino Emergency Clinic in Saitama, is open 24 hours for PCR testing.
https://koyu-kai.jp/index.html
Dr. Theopolis
"the first thing I noted and most admired about the Japanese was their patience, stoicism and indomitable ability to solve difficult problems!"
As someone whose lived here going on 26 years, I totally disagree with you.
i@n
Been waiting for this
Blacklabel
these numbers even on weekdays don’t support having shut down the entire country for several weeks already plus at least 2 weeks more.
quarantine actually means to segregate the sick and at risk people away from everyone else.
Not to make non sick people stay home for fear they might encounter an at risk person in public. As those people shouldn’t be in public.
what did the government do? 2 undersized, defective masks and promises of a payment, someday.
carpslidy
That is probable and shows the virus is far less deadly.
Thats the thing there aren't.
290 in icu, a lot lot lot more fighting for their livelihoods.
Corona about 1%
Strangerland
Talking about the assumed mortality rate - the assumed number of cases compared to the assumed number of fatalities - becomes a problem when people make comparisons to the CFR of other viruses, since CFRs are confirmed cases compared to confirmed fatalities,
Alex Simovic
Ok its great that number are not that big but isn't it better just to bunker down another fortnight or so to be on the safe side? I mean seriously people if it prevents one death isn't that worth us being bored at home?
starpunk
It sounds like a light at the end of a tunnel, maybe. And the news from NZ is promising too. SO - when is America going to be 'great' again and get it's kit together?
Bruce Chatwin
Population of Tokyo: 13,929,000
Number of people in Tokyo tested for COVID-19: 10,702
Percentage of Tokyo population tested: 0.077%
Percentage of the population of Germany tested: 2.5%
Japan: no testing = no problem
carpslidy
@Mirai Kyobashi
Yes numbers are lower on weekends but its a 30% decrease sunday to sunday
Any death is a tragedy for those families but unfortunately people die everyday peopled died before 2020 too.
It seems madness that we close the country and bankrupt people over 300,400,500 hundred deaths
therougou
Testing has increased, even if slightly.
Yet new infections have gone down. So how do you explain that?
https://toyokeizai.net/sp/visual/tko/covid19/en.html
Not saying they shouldn't increase testing, because the low numbers will now convince people it's safe to go out during the golden week, and we could be back to square one. But people here have been begging for a full lockdown for well over a month now, saying it would be the next Italy or NYC.
Blacklabel
testing shows 3 things. You already had it and didnt know, you have it now, or negative for it.
Already had and recovered, can back to work? (no, media claims maybe can get it again). Have it now asymptomatic can I go? (no because you might give it an "at risk person"-but why are they out?). Dont have it. (but stay home anyway, cause might catch it)
No matter what, the end result of a test is "stay home". So whats the purpose of testing people unless they go to the hospital feeling unwell? already had it and recovered, asymptomatic now, or dont have it- there is no result that changes the lockdown unless every single person tests negative at the same exact time.
We are talking total disruption of basic life and economic destruction, all over 300 deaths in 5 months in a population of 123 million.
Bruce Chatwin
Please present the official supporting data for this statement.
carpslidy
@ mirai
Acting irresponsibly is not wearing a mask in crowded places, washing hands regularly and going out if you have a fever.
Also acting irresponsibly is wasting whatever time we all may have left waiting at home terrified of a virus that appears to have been controlled by the simple wearing of masks.
Maybe you have another few decades to look forward to, unfortunately my wife has a 10% chance of being dead in the next five years so maybe our prospectives of risk-reward and the willingness to give up months of our lives are different.
Japan too started off with one case and it didnt turn into new york last week and from the data won't turn into new york next week either.
Raw Beer
That number is no longer valid. If you count those who died from Covid19 as a percentage of those who got infected from it (including those who had no symptoms), it is much lower. I don't recall the most recent number, perhaps 0.1% as someone mentioned above.
I suspect the warming weather is helping keep the infections low.
quercetum
Hospitals get paid more if patients listed as COVID-19, on ventilators per article
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/04/24/fact-check-medicare-hospitals-paid-more-covid-19-patients-coronavirus/3000638001/
Cognac
typical words from a student or tourist
try to work and you will see how much japanese are good to solve problems......
(this is not related to corona virus, the situation is under control even if comments are still in hysteria/panic mode)
Cognac
Tokyo
population : 13,000,000 people
corona virus cases : 3,900
average : 0.03% (MARU TEN MARU SAN PASENTO!!!!)
embarassing number for a state of emergency, hope the mighty couple Abe and biggest mask in Japan, Koike, won't extend it until beginning of June, with these numbers it should be ridicolous
carpslidy
@ Mirai
And in the meantime, what do those who are without work and going hungry do? How long do you propose they wait?
If more people end up dying from the medicine than the disease, sorry but that this a failure
At the current rate the number of deaths in Japan from the virus unfortunately appear may be eclipsed in time by the number of related suicides
The fact is today I still know nobody
who has/had the virus yet I know over 25 who are fighting for their livelihoods.
The last I checked food wasn't free and unless we eat we die.
MkoreaMwafrika
Numbers don't lie!
Unlike many naysayers making a mountain out of a mole-hill, when I first visited East Asia as an undergrad college exchange student, the first thing I noted and most admired about the Japanese was their patience, stoicism and indomitable ability to solve difficult problems!
This pathogen will be defeated only when we all cooperate; don't panic and don't succumb to the mass collective hysteria that I note to be prevalent among certain folks!
Blacklabel
What I dont get is that the government is advocating to just make all 12 days Golden Week and "stay home". Do they not know the only thing keeping people from traveling is the work days that are in between the official holidays?
If you give people 12 days in a row off with no work from home or office expected......a significant portion of them will move about.
Mirai Hayashi
You are still not getting it. The virus could be less effective to you are me, but not to your wife (whom you said is recovery from cancer...true?) That means that IF you act irresponsibly, you could carry the virus to your wife without even knowing it and kill her. DO YOU GET THE DEADLINESS OF IT NOW??
You were making a statement relative to YOU and said you knew 25 people fighting for their livelihoods...I said that there are more people dying, and now you're changing the numbers in attempt to win the argument...ridiculous!! And as I keep repeating you nor I or ANYONE for that matter know what the real numbers are and who will be dead next week!
The numbers never start off high. US started with only 1 person found to be infected, and now look how many there are. There are too many unknowns about this virus and how it works to take stupid chances!
Mirai Hayashi
That is not a fact, it's an assumption, because you have no evidence to prove that. And even IF YOU didn't know anyone who's infected doesn't mean a thing. The REAL fact is that there are a lot of asymptomatic people out there who are unaware that the are infected and that they are infecting others. You could be one of them and so could I. THAT'S the reason for social distancing.
Well there are plenty more who are fighting for their lives at this very moment, and who will be dead by the end of the week.
True, food isn't free (probably the only true statement in your post) but if the virus kills you then you won't need to worry about that will you?
Blacklabel
I think we can agree NYC is the model we dont want in Tokyo. It seems to be the worst of it all.
But when you look at the data, you see:
under 45 years of age is less than 5% of the total deaths
95% of deaths had underlying causes,
25% of deaths are just "presumed" and had no active positive test,
and another 25% are because of a bad governor decision to put coronavirus patients into nursing homes with healthy people instead of hospitals or the hospital ship.
It doesnt support shutting down Tokyo, or even NYC for that matter. quarantine the at risk people and let the others return to work.
Mirai Hayashi
I have no idea how dire the situation is with your wife's health, but it sounds like you've already given her a death sentence, which is sad. I would be making sure that she is safe so that she has a better chance to live a full a life. And yes, I get that quality of life is important too, but its all the more reason to try to get through this thing as quickly as possibly by cooperating, rather than prolonging it by being stupid
Blacklabel
If lockdown isnt over soon, then the deaths caused by lockdown will start.
Serrano
The government has encouraged residents to stay indoors as much as possible during the Golden Week holiday period.
Bad advice. Especially with the warmer weather, people should get out and take walks/go jogging while keeping social distancing, especially on sunny days.
If lockdown isnt over soon, then the deaths caused by lockdown will start.
Already started. And if the lockdows continue for much longer, deaths from depression, suicide, addiction and domestic abuse will eclipse the coronavirus deaths.