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We've got to limit the number of people who can get a COVID-19 test and diagnosis, though we know it's our duty to respond to as many patients as possible.

12 Comments

Susumu Kato, chief clerk at Daido Hospital in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. With suspected coronavirus patients swamping the Japanese capital's medical institutions, many Tokyoites are finding it difficult to get tested for the virus.

© Mainichi Shimbun

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

12 Comments
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In my expereince when you have symptoms - basically a fever - it is impossible to get a test. In my area there are designated hospitals that will accept pateients with a fever to get tested. These need to be within walking/cycling distance from your address and the names are provided by the local health authority.

However, the places available are very limited as patients are addigned an isolatation room while they wait. I found it very difficult to get tested as the places went within 5minutes each day.

My company would have given me a pcr tests if I didn't have symptoms, but couldn't give me one once I had symptoms as it was out of my area and involved coming by public transport.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

MontyToday  07:21 am JST

I got already 5x tested within the last few weeks.

Wow no wonder they are getting swamped! 5x??? what's the need for so many???

2 ( +4 / -2 )

@Monty

I got already 5x tested within the last few weeks.

It was very easy!

You are pulling this one for like 1 month at least (was 4 one month ago). You last few weeks are more like last few months and you are comparing getting a test for a not symptomatic person not classified as close contact by government but just needing some paper for their company, which is actually paying for it. You should be able to understand the difference with other people which get a free test and/or one because they have reason to suspect having covid (symptom and/or close contact), right ?

The quote is from someone managing this situation on the ground. Do you not think they know better than you if they are refusing people ?

Frankly, you look like you are talking in real bad faith. Why ?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

That is not true.

I got already 5x tested within the last few weeks.

Your personal experience is not an argument to disprove the quote. There is plenty of evidence of people finding it very difficult to get an appointment to be tested, even to get their telephone calls answered.

Places that are densely populated are more likely to be booked full in a short time, and since some hospitals only receive regular patients for tests this complicate things even more.

1 ( +8 / -7 )

If you would read my post properly then you would understand that I said, that counts for EVERYONE that wanted or have to get tested.

That is the thing, it does not count for everybody, that is just your mistaken idea. The article from which the quote is taken makes it very clear, so are the comments that explain that people that are symptomatic are much more limited in their options and only can get tested after many difficulties. Once again your personal situation is not a reflection of everyone's, so saying the quote is not true is invalid.

You are not explaining why the article or the quote are wrong, you are just explaining the faulty logic you followed to think they are wrong, when in fact you are the one that is mistaken.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Here the article the quote come from.

@Monty

Thanks for illustrating what I was talking about when I wrote about in bad faith.

So, if someone working on the ground say there is a problem : they are not correct or it is only their hospital.

If someone else say there is a problem, it must be their language skills. Even Japanese ?

And on top of it : these people should not live in Tokyo.

I guess you aquaintance know you, so I would suspect most of them will not even bother trying to correct you since in the end, they know they will be dismissed as you know better, right ?

You (purposely) missed the point : you are comparing 2 different group : being tested when not being a suspected case, which nobody, recently, said was difficult, morevover if willing to pay, as people need and/or prefer to be tested before traveling &co. You are part of that category.

As pointed is the article they are a different best that the first one :

People needing to be tested because they are suspected case. For them it not so easy. Several reasons are pointed, including :

having access to right facility : these people have to go to the test site by private transportation, meaning for lot : foot or bicycle because they usually do not want to take the risk of contaminate taxi driver, people in the bus/train, ...

knowing the testing places : the issue in that case should be with the agency in charge, as if suspected case, you are supposed to contact them and they give you a list of which place to contact. So quite possibly people just bypass the agency (potentially because they never manage to reach it : busy line) and try to get a test directly. So, as pointed in the article, not obvious place are not contacted so often, most likely only people not bypassing the agency and living in the vicinity actually contact them.

facilities being picky about who they accept : only regular. Meaning if you usually go to a faclity by yourself or throught you work, they will accept you. If not, look elsewhere. Back to issue 1 and 2.

these issues could be fixed by having a centralized reservation sytem, they can even do it by Internet like the vaccine one. The problem is that japanese medical system is for a big part a private, money oriented ones so unfortunately, several place are just on the taking side and never in the giving one.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

is Japan still one from top countries in the world?

who is responsible for this situation about tests?

does Japan have any minister for health?

Fumio why you are silent now-its your responsibility to take proper care!

who will be held personally responsible for all of this mess?

I know that LDP moonie crooks around Mori and co were busy to pocket money from Dentsu during "dentsu olympics "but they had tyears to solve this simple thing about tests and did-nothing!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Again, to get tested in Tokyo these days is easy and fast.

And again, this do not apply to everybody as the article and quote make perfectly clear, there are a lot of people having problems getting tested even if you say the opposite happens to you.

What this chief clerk here in the article is saying is not correct

Yes it is, your personal experience is not universal and many people complain including in social media about the huge ordeal they have to pass in order to get tested. The full article from where the quote comes is very clear about that, the problem is thinking your personal experience is enough to say everybody else that contradicts you must be wrong, this is not the case.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Wow no wonder they are getting swamped! 5x??? what's the need for so many???

Many of my coworkers got positiv.

If I had close contacts to them, I have to get tested too.

Therefore already 5x.

Your personal experience is not an argument to disprove the quote.

If you would read my post properly then you would understand that I said, that counts for EVERYONE that wanted or have to get tested.

Again for guys like you who are unable to understand a simple post:

Everyone I know, my friends, my Coworkers, my comuter friends, my Izakaya regular friends, ...everyone I know who wanted a test, got the test very very fast and easy.

And if people remember one of my older posts, my son got even tested for Covid, just because he had a ear pain!

And ear pain is not a Covid Symptom, as far as I know.

And you can find many test stations around Tokyo and also hospitals who tests you easily and fast.

Just open your eyes and you will find it.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

@Flute

In my case it is according company.

And yes it was 4 last month, and I just a few days ago I had to take my 5th one.

And why? Because again another coworker was positive.

Which means, that this coworker also got a test fast and easy, otherwise we would not know that he is positive.

But also my company has to contact the hospital and ask if testing is available.

And it was always available on the same day.

But I also have to fill out some documents at the hospital.

In my families cases, my friends cases , my commute friends case, whoever I know. they all took their tests private!

And again... nobody Of them had any problem to get tested, even on the same day, they wanted.

And these people also have families and friends, were also nobody had any problem to get tested.

And yes, my company pays, but that is because we want the result on the same day.

It is 11000yen.

But my health insurance will also pay for it, but then the result comes 2 days later.

The only problem to find not a place to get tested is, if you can not speak any japanse and you are unable to go through the reservation or document procedures, or you called a chiropractic or massage parlor and want to get teste there.

Again, to get tested in Tokyo these days is easy and fast.

And anybody who says difference is probably not living in tokyo or has no idea, probably because of lack of japanese skills, how to go to the necessary procedures, like searching for the right test station or hospital, or make a reservation or whatever.

What this chief clerk here in the article is saying is not correct. Probably that counts only for his hospital. But basically for whole Tokyo, it is not true!

Even some ordinary clinics are offering tests these days.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

many Tokyoites are finding it difficult to get tested for the virus.

That is not true.

I got already 5x tested within the last few weeks.

It was very easy!

Call the hospital, told that I am coming or made a reservation, they said no problem, went there, got tested.

Whole procedure took max 1 hour.

Test result came on the same day after a few hours, or on the next day.

And that is same procedure for everyone I know who got tested during the last weeks or months.

And that is also one of the reasons why the numbers are high now in Tokyo. You can get tested very easy.

Not like last year or 2 years ago.

-5 ( +6 / -11 )

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