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At least 15,000 virus patients waiting for hospitals, accommodations

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They had nearly a year to prepare for this and chose as usual to not do anything. Time to put some smarter and younger people in charge and retire the old guard.

35 ( +36 / -1 )

Just canceled the Damned Olympics once and for all and you can use the facilities for patients instead

33 ( +38 / -5 )

Just a few days ago, it was reported there was around 6k waiting...now the half truth comes out. I am sure there is actually more people waiting. The Olympic Village is more important to be used for the spread of COVID than it is to be used to help people isolate and recover. This has angered me, the response to the Virus by the J-Gov't. I came here to Japan thinking this was a great country to live in...my mind is changing now that I see the Gov't doesn't value human lofe. And the Gov't wonders why the birthrate is the lowest in HISTORY smh.

32 ( +38 / -6 )

The people waiting for hospitalization is only going to increase the lethality rates, and the people waiting for isolation will increase the spreading of the disease. This is a double punch for public health and something everybody saw coming, everybody except the science deniers that endlessly repeat the pandemic is nothing and the government, that did absolutely nothing to prevent it from happening.

30 ( +37 / -7 )

Over 15,000 waiting but no workable solution after 1 year. There is just no excuse acceptable by this bunch of fossils. So it is up to the journalists to embarrass them with the right questions and the voting public to retire the lot of them

29 ( +31 / -2 )

Would appear it is on the edge now. That's either a lot of people or a failed health system.

27 ( +31 / -4 )

That’s about half of the total number of active cases. Well done Japan, not!

26 ( +30 / -4 )

Imagine shelling out hundreds of thousands on health insurance only to be refused treatment the one time that you really need it.

Do such people get a refund?

22 ( +22 / -0 )

People can't be admitted to the hospitals even if they want to, yet the government introduces a penalty system for those unwilling to be hospitalized when they get the coronavirus...

Pathetic.

I suggest making a subsidy of a few million yen for those who want to be hospitalized but cannot be due to lack of space, just to make it fair, you know?

21 ( +21 / -0 )

 So it is up to the journalists to embarrass them with the right questions and the voting public to retire the lot of them

HAHAHAHA! Good one mate! Where do you think you are? A proper functioning democracy?! This is Japan!

20 ( +23 / -3 )

If they don't prevent new infections these numbers are going to increase and the next numbers to increase will be that of people who will die waiting. And while all this is going on, LDP politicians like Ishihara are still dining out and getting infected only to take up vital hospital beds.

19 ( +20 / -1 )

Anyone still in doubt whether or not the LDP really cares about the welfare of normal people vs. big money projects to line their pockets?

17 ( +18 / -1 )

I am seriously considering my next destination after Japan, once situation improves globally.

Me and my family need to be at a place where we feel safe.

How can you feel safe in a place where during the peak of a global pandemic:

No access to testing unlike most developed countries. In Europe, Australia, etc you are ENCOURAGED to get tested, here if you call the COVID hotline with a fever they say they’ll only test it you were in a non-masked contact with a positive or once you have clear symptoms for 3 days or more!

And then they will mention if you really want to get tested, to go to a clinic around (They will check in their system whats around) where you live and then the doctor will tell if you need to get tested - normal clinic, you walk in a cross with other patients.

I’m not a doctor but encouraging going to a clinic when potentially infected is just unbelievable and the first step to further spread,

Remote working is non-existent,

- Trains and buses are jam packed during the peak of a global pandemic - with windows closed or barely open,

- Train scheduled reduced, where last train is earlier to pack people even more,

- Nothing was done either to reduce infections apart from “request businesses to close at 8PM”, with restaurants jam packed until the magical hour, inc. queues outside for people to get in,

- Government did nothing in 1 year to control situation and protect its population - actually even promoted travel and going to restaurants (GO TO Travel, Go to Eat etc), business travel from countries in Asia without quarantine and PCR Testing required.

During one year, the only action was the spreading of the “japanese miracle” propaganda and how this virus is a “foreign virus”, resulting people not taking it seriously and in not getting ready e.g hospitals, measures etc.

This resulted in not being able to assist those who would potentially get infected, more than 15,000 by now.

Many more people untested and positives at home and OFFICES for sure, thats common sense considering how easily this virus spread,

- Life is completely normal on the streets, malls, gyms, offices, restaurants, bars, discos (yes discos are still OPEN),

Huge emphasis on mask wearing (which is great) but NO SOCIAL DISTANCING encouragement from media and government whatsoever - stores, restaurants etc have no capacity limit, unlike other countries. If wait on some queue, most likely the person behind you is literally touching you,

I feel embarrassed for the japanese people to have such an incompetent government that is doing NOTHING to protect its people.

Not informing properly how the virus spreads, not easing testing, not promoting remote working (that is proven to curb infections), not creating the infrastructure to properly deal with this and to slow down infections and save lives.

Very disappointing, as Japan would have been one of the island cases of success as New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan and so on.

16 ( +23 / -7 )

Japan needs urgently implement full lockdown.. Otherwise ,More lives will be lost and Health service will definitely collapse. After that,, it will spin out of control..

Agree 100%. Its bizarre that the gov can deport PR foreigners and uproot them from their Japanese families for breaking quarantine, BUT can't or don't want to implement a lockdown, or at least a proper SOE like before, to properly quell the virus. Their response to this virus has been abysmal. 0 leadership on their part and leaving it to the Prefectural Governments to decide what to do. This time around, it'll be very difficult for the Prefectures to implement any proper response and it won't matter anyway as long as the SOE or LD is not on a national level. Add to that, the ABISMAL testing and you have a recipe for disaster.

Just canceled the Damned Olympics once and for all and you can use the facilities for patients instead

Or don't cancel the Olympics and watch that number multiplied by 10.

That’s about half of the total number of active cases. Well done Japan, not!

That's at a conservative estimate. The number of active cases could in fact be WAY higher. If you are one of the 40% whose job is not permanent, barely enough to make ends meet, AND is not a fixed income, are you really going to go and get tested knowing that you will be forced to quarantine for 2 weeks and with minimal financial help from this asinine gov if you have symptoms? I wouldn't. I'd just try to ride it out.

The people waiting for hospitalization is only going to increase the lethality rates, and the people waiting for isolation will increase the spreading of the disease. This is a double punch for public health and something everybody saw coming, everybody except the science deniers that endlessly repeat the pandemic is nothing and the government, that did absolutely nothing to prevent it from happening.

Not to mention the sockpuppets who constantly praised the gov response to the pandemic and insisted that Japan didn't need to test, the hospitals were fine, and that everyone else who expressed worry and concern were just Japan bashers.

14 ( +20 / -6 )

Every week I see people talking and eating in groups, usually consuming alcohol.

It is spreading and it won’t stop.

14 ( +17 / -3 )

How can a developed and civilised nation like Japan allow itself to sink into this kind of shameful situation ?

A country so concerned with its international image also.

The answer is simple. The politicians and others in charge are letting the population down by their lack of knowledge, efficiency en empathy for the man and woman in the street. How long before the people demand answers ?

This is the result of decades of positions assigned because of family, heritage or relationships rather than by merit.

14 ( +16 / -2 )

virusrex - the chief doctor at the clinic my wife works at was one who has been downplaying the seriousness until recently. Even telling patients that it is really nothing to be concerned about. As of late December he completely changed his attitude and now admits that he was totally wrong. Not a science denier but slow to realize I’d say. The other senior doctor has been very concerned from day one. Just saying.

Anyway I completely agree with you. It needn’t have come to this, we just needed it to be taken seriously by those that have the ability to do something about it.

13 ( +17 / -4 )

Use all the rooms at the Olympic city and stadiums. Could even make the government look like they give a monkeys.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Dealing with any problem including the virus needs proactive thinking and logical solutions, how do you inject that into an extremely slow and reactive society. don't be so quick to point a finger at the Japanese politicians, they are a mirror reflection of the Japanese society. Things will never change, because change needs you to identify a risk and proactively and logically mitigate it. The biggest risk in life is the risk of doing nothing.

13 ( +15 / -2 )

luddite:

How did it come to this?

Too busy thinking about the Olympics and somehow thinking that stopping foreign residents from returning to Japan (and letting Japanese come back without testing and only 'urging' them to isolate) would be the answer.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

They should have at least ascertained who and how many needs hospitalization and determined who need most urgent care.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Does “15,000 virus patients” means people who are visibly sick and may die soon or does it mean people who have the virus in their body but show no symptoms. Some honest information would be appreciated.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

How did it come to this?

10 ( +13 / -3 )

If only they'd had a year to prepare for such an eventuality. ...Oh wait.

9 ( +13 / -4 )

JAPAN and its poor medical system. In Japan your mansion becomes a hospital proxy as medical bed and services are lacking. the houses become the virus nest

8 ( +11 / -3 )

But the government has just spent time to create a law, that along with closing bars at 8 PM, is supposed to solve the virus problem in Japan whereby people with the virus who refuse to get hospitalised can be jailed for up to 1 year. Perhaps the plan is to use the jails as hospitals. This can free up the thousands of medical staff that need to be diverted from the hospitals to staff the Olympics. NHK reported the Olympics committee is not concerned with getting the considerable medical staff needed for the guaranteed super safe Olympics and will offer financial incentives to hospitals to take their staff.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

@bokuwamoToday  

"The vaccines currently available have been produced without final testing done on animals; when vaccines were under development for SARS, it was not produced because in the final tests the animals all died and it was stopped."

Untrue. The COVID-19 Tests followed and passed all testing protocols.

"...it is unknown if it stops transmission or recurrences."

Untrue. It does NOT stop transmission, and this was well documented and covered extensively even in the regular news. If someone is vaccinated, they have a 5% chance of getting C-19 themselves, and since the virus is still in the body, it can be transmitted to others as there is nothing preventing the virus from leaving the body (sans mask). Those involved in developing the vaccines knew well the severe adverse reaction ratios. So far, the severe adverse reaction ratio is about .00006%; the chance of dying from C19 is .5% to 2% without a vaccination, depending on the country and the person. Take your choice.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Are these 15,000 patients-in-waiting proverbial "canaries in the cage"? It's starting to feel like Japan might become the stage of a future blockbuster horror movie; Covidzilla!

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Japan is a master of obfuscation and fudging numbers. It's an inherent characteristic of politics here. Save face, avoid tackling issues head on, and cover up if necessary. The public need not know all the facts, and openness actually removes a sense of power from those who hold it.

That's not to say that politics works vastly different elsewhere, but at least elsewhere the people have some kind of choice in who they elect.

It's putrid here, and the go to thing of just pretending everything is hunky dory doesn't work - and shouldn't be accepted - during a health pandemic.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

The ones dying at home without due hospitalization = no post mortem check = no covid death.

Easy statistics since Japanese don't complain. Never ever will lose face. Better die. Oups.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

How will they guarantee medical facilities for Olympians if they are struggling with their own people? I want the Olympics but just can't seem to see how they can proceed without sacrificing the health of Japanese. It's very sad indeed.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

15,000 +people waiting timo be hospitalized or sent to a lodging facility? This proves that the Medical System has already collapsed. If the J Gov't would stop worrying about the Olympics, they could easily use the Olympic Village for housing, and mobilize JSDF nurses to assist..Heck, they could even ask the U.S. Military to assist as well. Crazy thinking I have eh? And I am just an average Joe that came up with a plan in 7 seconds. I didn't have to consult with a panel to consult a panel, that will consult a panel to see what the experts say. I am sure tax payers would have no problem with the Olympic Village being used...if lives can be saved.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

For the denier above -

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-9792931264

5 ( +9 / -4 )

''This is the result of decades of positions assigned because of family, heritage or relationships rather than by merit.''

I must agree, it certainly seems none of the Expert Economists put in charge have any sense of urgency nor the will to take action. It's very much a case here of 'let the chips fall where they may.'

''How long before the people demand answers ?''

Hahaha! It seems unlikely to happen a year down the road. People apparently want their kids in school and the spouse out of the house.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

1st of all Corona has been around many years and currently #19. There has never been a manufacture drug for Corona=SARS for a cure. Testing positive has not been able to determine when infected, many have had it for years. Healthy people 0 to 65 years old have a 98.9% recovery rate of COVID#19 from having it, without any more effects than regular flu. The vaccines currently available have been produced without final testing done on animals, when vaccines were under development for SARS, it was not produced because in the final tests the animals all died and it was stopped. These vaccines supposedly require a 2nd dose to work, but it is unknown if it stops transmission or recurrences. Deaths from taking the vaccine have grown, as well as physical reactions.

Every single sentence is false or misleading.

There is no manufacture drugs for diseases that no longer have patients, there is no reason to have it.

There is no evidence for any kind of long lasting infection for coronavirus, a positive result for qRT-PCR means recent infection without any other realistic possibility.

Recovery rates include obviously pediatric patients which recover much more likely than even healthy young adults, and they are not the same as lack of death, many patients that require hospitalization remain with sequelae months after being discharged, so they are not recovered.

Vaccines have been proved safe with both preclinical (animal) and clinical trials.

There are SARS vaccines with proven efficacy and safety on animals, the only reason why they never finished human trials is because there is no reason to justify it, there are no human patients anymore. Animals recovered without problems from lethal virus challenges in most of the candidates.

Deaths after being vaccinated are not the same as deaths from the vaccine. For that it is necessary to demonstrate they are in excess from the vaccine, that has not been demonstrated yet.

Being vaccinated has been demonstrated to stop getting recurrences, no vaccine is ever produced to avoid a new infection, all are made to stop a new disease, the same as the COVID-19 ones.

 By the way, left out the part about all the animals died, among the other details.

It is trivially easy to go to pubmed and search for SARS and Vaccine to see dozens and dozens of reports, many of which report animals surviving successfully a lethal virus challenge after being vaccinated.

Obviously laboratory animals are sacrificed at the end of experiments (that is part of the design so their bodies can be examined for any possible hidden sign of complications) but that is completely different from dying because of the vaccine. That is false.

5 ( +13 / -8 )

The situation:

"At least 15,058 people were on the waiting list for a hospital or a designated accommodation after testing positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this month in the 11 prefectures covered by a state of emergency, a Kyodo News survey found Sunday, as public health centers have been swamped with surging numbers of new cases."

LDP's Response:

"The government is now planning to make a legal revision to penalize those who reject hospitalization with imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of 1 million yen."

How is fining or imprisoning people going to help?

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Turn the entire Olympic village into a medical area, with half being for vaccinations... although given Japan's rate of action that might interfere with them trying to get the 2032 Games.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Of course they care, @moonbloom. They are in those more endangered age groups, are living in the more affected area of Kanto and Bigger Tokyo. Do you think, they are stupid and want to die early, throwing their bank assets, stock portfolios and all that, into the garbage can sooner than necessary? No, but even if they are stupid or still stubborn and ignorant, finally they are very sufficiently greedy enough to trying to save a possible maximum. They have a lot more to lose than you and me and they will, if they don’t change. Already the next few virus waves will teach them to act quickly.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Room, not fool! Dang iPadAir has its own mind once again.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Are there effective therapeutics for COVID? Other than Oxygen, what is the benefit of hospitalisation??

Are you serious?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

 So it is up to the journalists to embarrass them with the right questions 

If there were. Unfortunately, there aren't. The result of leaving TV programming to Yoshimoto Kogyo and Johnnies.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Sanitizing a fool is not that hard or time consuming. Sending faxes and then having meetings with the sanitizing company is time consuming.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

Where did I celebrate? I stated facts.

Where did I say you did? I asked a question.

Your position on this throughout has been that there's no problem.

You denied it was a problem at the start. You kept promoting the GoTo Travel idiocy as a good idea and partook in it a few times IIRC. Every time the numbers have gone up, your position has been that it's not an issue at all.

We are now at a stage where 15,000 people who need treatment cannot access a hospital - and your response is that this isn't 'dire straits'.

We know the reason is to do with private hospitals not accepting, but if they aren't accepting then the capacity in real terms is lower, and seems to have been met. That is dire straits, because 15,000 patients needing treatment isn't suddenly going to drop to 10,000, or 5,000, or 1,000 - which is still dire straits. 15,000 is only going to increase - at what rate, nobody knows. But the number of cases has increased by a factor of almost 5 in the last 5 weeks.

It may be a good idea if you changed your outlook on this from 'flippancy' to something like 'concerned'.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

But Japan is ''doing well' according to some posters on this site. 15,000 virus patients unable to gain access to any level of proper health care is obscene in such a wealthy society with all the advanced medical technology and infrastructure they have. Hospital beds per thousand are some of the highest in the world here, which makes this all the more maddening. Could the government not have made a deal with these private hospitals to take COVID patients, a financial incentive of sorts? Private hospitals refusing to treat COVID patients because they're worried other prospective (money-making) patients will stay away is not a good look.

Putting the burden on public hospitals when they are so many private ones is not good.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Japan needs urgently implement full lockdown.. Otherwise ,More lives will be lost and Health service will definitely collapse. After that,, it will spin out of control..

1 ( +27 / -26 )

Japan is NOT in such dire straits.And it's only a "shortage" because hospitals don't want to be accepting Covid patients. The main reason is the stigma of being a "Corona hospital."

That sounds like pretty dire straits to me - what with us being in the middle of a Covid pandemic and all.

Do you think that Covid patients not being able to access hospitals is a cause for celebration?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Japanese authorities who repeat dull and insufficient response look like as if they want to reduce population of elderly and disabled people.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The survey showed Tokyo had the most infected people waiting to be hospitalized

How does that make sense? If you are "waiting" to be hospitalized, you are obviously OK without hospitalization.

The infection runs its course during about a week. Those with serious symptoms can obviously not "wait". And those who can wait will be OK without hospital. Think!

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Not good news.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Are there effective therapeutics for COVID? Other than Oxygen, what is the benefit of hospitalisation??

Strange that they are always talking about vaccines, but never about treatment.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Thomas Good

I wouldn't be surprised if they asked the diamond princess to come back, so they could use it as a hospital. Appalling handling of the situation.

As a hospital? For what? Certainly not for Corona. Those cruise ships with their central aircon are more designed as an incubation chamber than an infection ward.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

How does that make sense? If you are "waiting" to be hospitalized, you are obviously OK without hospitalization.

The infection runs its course during about a week. Those with serious symptoms can obviously not "wait". And those who can wait will be OK without hospital. Think!

In the article, paragraph 3:

“ a growing number of infected people have been forced to wait at home amid bed shortages, and some have died there.”

Thinking is recommended, I agree with that. Reading also.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

A big misunderstanding here. The Olympic village is privately owned by 4 major real estate companies and some smaller ones and the apartments are being sold off to the public or smaller investors.

They do receive fees from the LOC 2020 for use.

If these developers let the Olympic village used for COVID measures, in any form, watch the potential buyers run.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Are there effective therapeutics for COVID? Other than Oxygen, what is the benefit of hospitalisation??

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

I'm not saying Japan shouldn't improve things. I just find the conspiracy theories laughable as they don't make sense. If they were just covering things up, Japan would look like a scene from the Walking Dead by the time the olympics came around. That would benefit nobody.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

The ones dying at home without due hospitalization = no post mortem check = no covid death.

Making things up to fit your narrative? They tested positive and will be counted as a covid death. Which doesn't make much of a difference considering we are talking about only a couple of cases.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Are there effective therapeutics for COVID? Other than Oxygen, what is the benefit of hospitalisation??

I don't know what treatments are offered in Japan, but there are a few treatments offered world-wide that are very cheap, safe, and effective if offered very early. So I hope that those 15,000 people waiting for hospitals are at least receiving medicines.

On the bright side, the number of active cases has been going down (by over 8,000) over the past few days.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

am seriously considering my next destination after Japan, once situation improves globally.

Life is completely normal on the streets, malls, gyms, offices, restaurants, bars, discos (yes discos are still OPEN),

Funny, this is exactly the reason why I am so happy living in Japan.

-7 ( +8 / -15 )

Lotsa cranky foreigners opining various criticisms with very little understanding or comprehension of the issues at hand. One even proclaiming there should be a nationwide lockdown enforced by the government - as if civil rights are of no concern. Let alone ascribing responsibility to the population at large, which is ludicrous. A very large majority of the citizenry follow protocols and the infection rate, despite a current spike, is very low. There is no conspiracy to tamp down numbers, which would be near impossible considering the vast network required to achieve such.

Anecdotal evidence is just that. Anecdotal and based on a limited & personal accounting which is less than accurate and is simply an opinion which does not reflect actual circumstance.

The current increase in covid cases has been linked to the GoToTravel fiasco, which has been terminated. Numbers of infections will spike and then flatten within the next several weeks.

The article states hospitals and designated accommodations, which combines the two and is not specific. It also folds in mild symptoms. It is a conflated number.

Japan has the highest percentage of hospital beds per capita. 80% of hospitals are private. As an example, at a private hospital in Tokyo, 40% of beds are empty. There are sufficient numbers of highly skilled healthcare providers and a highly viable system in place to deal with the pandemic, much of which is private.

Accepting SARSCovid-2 patients requires isolation wards and offers the possibility of infecting staff and patients, as it is a very virulent virus with, at the moment, no vaccine in place. Simple to understand. SARSCovid-2 patients that require intensive care are expensive and impede the treatment of patients requiring surgery & healthcare for non-covid illness. It is a drain on resources and requires shifting care & treatment. It creates cluster infections and impacts the available level of care. The over-riding concern is profitability as the private hospitals operate on a business model.

To add perspective or context. Los Angeles County. In California. That is a county, not a state, nor a country. A population of 10 million. Yesterday: 10,351 infections. 272 deaths. Total confirmed cases: 1,073,156. The greater Tokyo metropolitan area has a population of 38 million. Do the math.

-8 ( +3 / -11 )

Does “15,000 virus patients” means people who are visibly sick and may die soon or does it mean people who have the virus in their body but show no symptoms. Some honest information would be appreciated.

Most likely the latter. And Japan still hospitalizes more than most countries. This won't affect the Japan-bashers here though, as they have already made up their mind to bash Japan regardless.

-9 ( +4 / -13 )

1st of all Corona has been around many years and currently #19. There has never been a manufacture drug for Corona=SARS for a cure. Testing positive has not been able to determine when infected, many have had it for years. Healthy people 0 to 65 years old have a 98.9% recovery rate of COVID#19 from having it, without any more effects than regular flu. The vaccines currently available have been produced without final testing done on animals, when vaccines were under development for SARS, it was not produced because in the final tests the animals all died and it was stopped. These vaccines supposedly require a 2nd dose to work, but it is unknown if it stops transmission or recurrences. Deaths from taking the vaccine have grown, as well as physical reactions.

-11 ( +6 / -17 )

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