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Japan to ask athletes from India, 5 other countries for more COVID-19 tests

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How about the UK? The delta virus is 95% of all case there now!

21 ( +27 / -6 )

UK deadly Uganda deadly

UK deadly is greater than Uganda deadly!

7 ( +14 / -7 )

Japan to ask athletes from India, 5 other countries for more COVID-19 tests

Kind of ironic in that it’s so difficult for people in Japan to get one.

Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa said on Friday a member of the Ugandan Olympic team who tested positive for the coronavirus upon arrival had the Delta variant, adding to concern the Games may trigger a new wave of infections.

oh really? That’s the first time anyone ever thought of that happening!

26 ( +28 / -2 )

How about all countries to you know maybe ... err on the side of caution. Just a thought!

22 ( +23 / -1 )

Delta is the most contagious variant and is everywhere. Letting that loose on an unvaccinated public like Japan is cruel and unusual punishment as Japan invites it in

21 ( +23 / -2 )

Testing alone doesnt mean guano! Quarantine EVERYONE who is coming in for at least two weeks, preferably 3, with weekly testing.

Oh and dont let anyone from south Asia into Japan..... but wait, then they cant participate in the COVID Games.

Better to cancel them! If they cant participate, then no one should!

14 ( +19 / -5 )

Surely Japan could show the ultimate omotenashi by offering the athletes vaccines, perhaps offering the AstraZeneca vaccines since they're not exactly being used by the Japanese population anyway? They could offer them at Japanese embassies/consulates in the athletes' respective countries. Probably far fetched but would work in tandem with their current vaccine diplomacy with Taiwan and ASEAN nations.

-3 ( +7 / -10 )

Japan- A country far behind other nations in vaccination, her own people are craving to get vaccinated.

Japan should ban China - from where Corona Virus originated. Its a Chinese virus. No guts to face China, a strong nation.

Japan should have similar restrictions against USA, Brazil, Spain where the Chinese virus Corona caused havoc. Instead, it is punishing and discriminating against its allies.

Japan- time and again you have proven untrustworthy, unreliable, incompetent, laggard.....Shame

-2 ( +13 / -15 )

What difference will it make?

The second Ugandan tested negative upon arriving, he was tested in Japan and was Negative.

Then tested positive days later!

So basically he or she could have been tested right before the flight then on arrival and the result would have been the same, positive 1 or 2 days later!

Window dressing, smoke and mirrors, call it what you want totally for show and will make very little difference.

Oh and the Delta variant is now prominent in Canada also, so might as well add Canada, UK, etc.. to the list.

14 ( +22 / -8 )

Japan should ban China - from where Corona Virus originated. Its a Chinese virus.

How have you eliminated the possibility that another country didn't release the virus near the facility in Wuhan in order to do a false flag operation on the Chinese?

-23 ( +5 / -28 )

And with each day more complications, more exceptions, less equal treatment all because of the pushing for an event that should have been cancelled long ago.

It seems as if the purpose was to make the event the worst possible memory for all involved (except for the few priviledged that will make a lot of money from it).

12 ( +18 / -6 )

Delta variant is not deadly or deadlier, it's just more contagious aka. it spreads more.

Now the virus is deadly or not based on the host it infects and on their immune system response.

Up until now most people here, who are either Japanese or expats living in Japan, have shown a lack of cultural understanding as well lack of information. That to avoid saying a person is dumb. Get real info from experts who don't have monetary gains from spreading fear.

Most athletes and visitors are vaccinated. Yes if they get infected, they can still spread the virus, however, Japan is only to blame for the slow rate of vaccination. Not the world. Japan wanted the Olympics, pandemic hit, now I believe every effort is being taken TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS SAFE.

If you want to be safe too, and you are unvaccinated yet, don't go on trips, limit your contact with people and you will be safe. Now you guys cry because you want your old life back. It's impossible. My business lost over $40.000.000 USD because of pandemic, and it won't ever be profitable again. I just need to live with that, as you do with the new life for now.

And remember the vaccine only protects you from a severe form of the virus! Not from the virus.

So when you take the vaccine mostly protect yourself, and a tiny bit others.

This virus will be with us for a while, and we have to live with it in peace and harmony as we live together on this planet, hopefully in peace and harmony. Let's not find another reason to discriminate against, please.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

How about all countries to you know maybe ... err on the side of caution. Just a thought!

I agree. Cancel the trainwreck Olympics outright.

15 ( +19 / -4 )

Incredibly discriminatory.

I'd be more worried about the already here Japanese variant.

6 ( +12 / -6 )

Delta variant is not deadly or deadlier, it's just more contagious aka. it spreads more.

One correction is that this applies only on the individual level, if we are talking about populations then a more contagious strain becomes deadlier even if it does not kill more easily, precisely because it will spread more easily and cause more cases and deaths.

6 ( +12 / -6 )

How about testing all departing athletes at the airports to see the percentage that contracted it while in Japan?

13 ( +14 / -1 )

And the UK, Australia, Russia? By the time the games roll around many other countries will have their hands full with the delta variant. Including you Japan...

8 ( +9 / -1 )

So you test more, and then what happens when you get positives? You separate them from negatives, turn them away and allow their team mates in to compete? Or, if they test positive in Japan, do you stop them from competing or quarantine themfor two weeks (LOL) while rest of the team compete as usual? What about all the other media, other countries' athletes, the public, drivers, volunteers,etc that they have come in contact with?

You might as well just as well keep all foreigners out and hold a Japanese only Olympics. This is crazy and beyond a cluster duck.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

There is a reason why we have been required to quarantine when re-entering Japan for the last year. The government reacting to the Delta Variant requires us to be quarantined in a government control location for 3, 6 or 10 days depending where you travel from.

In case they have forgotten, we have to do this to protect all the people living or visiting this country.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa said on Friday a member of the Ugandan Olympic team who tested positive for the coronavirus upon arrival had the Delta variant, adding to concern the Games may trigger a new wave of infections

Poor Ugandans, the ultra bias reporting is like the delta variant wasn't here and they brought it.

Japanese have been testing positive for the delta variant and there was no fuss about testing

, contact tracing or quarantine. The hypocrisy is unbelievable.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

And the UK, Australia, Russia? By the time the games roll around many other countries will have their hands full with the delta variant. Including you Japan...

Japan already has it. 40 percent of the infections in Tokyo are of the delta variant.

When you have a very inept media, you end up with an uninformed public.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

The "wave" won't come from overseas, it will come will all the movement of people internal to Japan foreign or Japanese!

Japan seems to think there is no Covid in Japan and testing 1000 people a day is considered acceptable to get an accurate messure... To eleminate all doubt it is not and the government is in head in the sand mode and looking to blame someone or something else.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Delta variant is not deadly or deadlier, it's just more contagious aka. it spreads more

In other words it infects and can kill more people... Making it?

3 ( +6 / -3 )

What a sick hype. Those masses all bring in their viruses, from alpha to omega, no need for testing a fact. So you can cancel the whole thing to avoid a potential catastrophe and need no testing either then.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Reckless:

Wherever the Delta variant has spread, it has quickly become the dominant form. It's at over 99% of new cases in the UK now, and at over 20% now in the US, so it wouldn't surprise me if it were at 40% or more in Japan by now. Makes sense!

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Delta Plus has arrived with 15 cases confirmed already in Japan out of just 197 cases confirmed across 11 countries. Britain (36), Canada (one), India (eight), Nepal (three), Poland (nine), Portugal (22), Russia (one), Switzerland (18), Turkey (one), and the United States (83).

https://www.google.co.jp/amp/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/100241782

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I'd like to ask them all to stay home.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

sf2kToday  04:33 pm JST

Delta is the most contagious variant and is everywhere. Letting that loose on an unvaccinated public like Japan is cruel and unusual punishment as Japan invites it in

It's been here for weeks (if not months) already.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

ToraToday 08:14 pm JST

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Delta Plus has arrived with 15 cases confirmed already in Japan out of just 197 cases confirmed across 11 countries. Britain (36), Canada (one), India (eight), Nepal (three), Poland (nine), Portugal (22), Russia (one), Switzerland (18), Turkey (one), and the United States (83).

Tora was a little bit faster than me but actually there are already 37 cases of Delta Plus in Japan as of June 21 (https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210625/p2a/00m/0na/035000c)

As of June 21, 37 cases of "Delta Plus" coronavirus variant infections have been confirmed in Japan in tallies from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said in a June 25 news conference.

The Delta Plus strain is a mutation of the "Delta" variant first detected in India. Regarding the difference between Delta Plus and the reportedly highly contagious ordinary Delta variant, Kato said, "As of now, I am briefed that there is no evidence indicating differences to the Delta strain in terms of infectivity, severity or vaccine efficacy."

There are also slightly newer numbers for some other countries (https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/25/health/delta-plus-variant-explainer-intl-hnk-scn/index.html)

UK: 41

India: 48 (although other sources say 51 by now)

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Delta variant is not deadly or deadlier, it's just more contagious aka. it spreads more

In other words it infects and can kill more people... Making it?

It makes it 2% deadly to people who have a weak immune system, pre-conditions, and CAN'T UNDERSTAND THAT THEY NEED TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL!

You have cancer and wish to live more? PROTECT YOURSELF.

You have diabetes and wish to live a long life? PROTECT YOURSELF.

We can go on with the list, of people who have comorbidities and just go on with their life as normal, with a lot of interactions. How come this virus is only deadly in the comments, and not for those people we worry so much about in our comments?

If you know you're at risk, there is no question about it. Protect yourself and let the rest live a normal life as much as possible given the situation. Just wait until the vaccination campaigns hit the wall of "I don't want to get the scary vaccine". It's already happening in Eastern Europe, where they are THROWING VACCINES THAT EXPIRE, because even though all citizens and residents can choose any of the 4 major vaccines, not many want it(Romania - J&J, Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca).

And guess what, I also have a condition, so besides you confusing it with lack of empathy, is more that I understand the risks and protect myself.

Just learn to live by protecting yourself and less blaming the "scary gaijin" that are "bringing the virus" in our treasure land, unstained Japan.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

.......so much stupidity going ground here in Japan, the countries asked to bow to these new rules( India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan) should all just cancel their trips to Japan. Seems like they all may be being set up to take the fall for Japans gross utter incompetence!

Clearly these games need to be canned!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Maybe it's already been covered above, but a more infectious variant is a huge problem for a country as poorly prepared as Japan, ie lack of ability to respond rapidly to changing circumstance, lack of testing capacity, lack of tracing capacity, inadequate isolation capacity, inadequate treatment capacity (and now, inadequate capacity to dodge an Olympic train bearing down on it)

this is explained by a specialist here:

https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-variant-worse-than-deadly-variant-expert-explained-2021-1

"a small risk of death with a very large number of people infected, means more deaths than a slightly higher risk of death amongst a much smaller outbreak. A really severe disease that one person gets won't necessarily have as much impact as a 'sometimes-severe' disease that a huge number of people get."

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The WHO warns the Delta virus is spreading in at least 85 countries, and also says:

*“The global situation is incredibly fragile,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on COVID-19. Van Kerkhove said that while transmission is dropping in Europe, there are numerous events — from large sporting events to backyard barbeques — that all have consequences for disease spread.*

“The delta variant, the virus, will continue to evolve," Van Kerkhove said. "Right now our public health and social measures work, our vaccines work, our diagnostics work, our therapeutics work. But there may be a time where this virus evolves and these countermeasures don’t.”

*Earlier this month, British officials announced that they would allow 60,000 fans to attend the semi-finals and finals of the European football championships at London’s Wembley stadium — to the dismay of some public health experts**.*

Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, called it “worrying and confusing,” saying there was limited data to prove its safety, especially given the prevalence of the more infectious delta variant. ”(The) inevitable opportunities for the virus to spread in enclosed spaces like lavatories is a recipe for disaster."

0 ( +1 / -1 )

According to the EU CDC 90% of the EU could infected…Delta is 60% more transmissible than the current Covid 19 virus.

Japan will most likely see an increase of infections post Olympics.

Pfizer vaccine 2 injections give 88% protection from Delta…Astro Zeneca gives 33% after the first shot and 70% after the second shot!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

And the decision to penalise Uganda, and now India and the other five, is that they are 'little' countries in Japan's eyes, while Team GB, (just as an example) bringing well over 1000 people, has stamped its foot and insisted they will have no quarantine. Team GB's chief put it this way:

Anson confirmed that Team GB athletes would not need to quarantine for six days on arrival in Japan after the UK was added to Japan's travel 'red list' because of rising cases of the Delta variant. "We got in contact with the IOC and said that would be completely unfair. And they acknowledged that straight away," he said.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/57604425

So reassuring, as UK cases are I think now over 90% Delta ones. Aside from that, does anyone still want to watch the Olympics, knowing how it 'works'?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Delta variant is not deadly or deadlier, it's just more contagious aka. it spreads more.

At same mortality rate more people infected means more people will die

1 ( +3 / -2 )

They should make them all take the stay home test, dont come to Japan dont compete in the olympics test, that would work.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

This is going to be one of the most controversial olympics.

I don't expect a potential medal winner not throwing tantrums if they are ruled out from participating

with a positive test just prior to their discipline. Imagine what happened to the Ugandan athlete who

tested negative before departure and arrival here and then positive a few days later, if it did happen

to an athlete from one of the big influential sports nations expect finger pointing and accusations of

cheating.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I am not an IOC fan, nor a sport fan but I do appreciate the importance of the OG for sportsmen and sportswomen who dedicate their life to their sport passion.

I have a very mixed feeling about this OG and just hope it will be OK as the decision to move forward has been taken.

I do not think the foreign athletes are more a risk of transmitting COVID19 than at risk of getting COVID19 in Japan.

Good luck!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

......so much stupidity going ground here in Japan, the countries asked to bow to these new rules( India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan) should all just cancel their trips to Japan. Seems like they all may be being set up to take the fall for Japans gross utter incompetence!

One of the reasons that these countries are singled out is because they all have agreements with each other. All the citizens from these countries do not need passports to travel back in forth. It was like the US and Mexico before 9/11.

Which means it is easier for this more contagious variant to spread throughout these most unvaccinated highly populated countries. I would definitely double and triple test them, but I would also do the same for the UK and the US considering their poor track records with Johnson and trump in charge. The same goes for "tummy-ache Abe"!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

@Numan

Today 11:27 PM

One of the reasons that these countries are singled out is because they all have agreements with each other. All the citizens from these countries do not need passports to travel back in forth. 

Are you serious? Do you just make stuff up?

India an Pakistan no passport travel!!???

Perhaps you should look up the history between these two countries.

Passports are 100% needed not only that but travel between these two countries is extremely restricted!

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

Why not just make it near-impossible for all countries to send their athletes to Japan? Those that are in Japan will be locked up, stressed out. Then Japan will have an even better chance of getting all the gold medals. Win-win.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It's guaranteed to be a giant mess because the athletes who test positive upon or just after arriving in Japan got their slots by winning top competitions in their home countries. although a country may be fortunate to have a deep field of top athletes, it's not at all the case for every country in every sport. I have to question the value of an Olympic medal when many countries are asked at the last minute to provide alternate players.

Tbis Olympics may turn out to be the worst, most notorious Olympics in history for any number of virus-related administrative reasons.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

India and five other countries. In a headline from JT: Sydney and Darwin in COVID-19 lockdowns; NZ extends alert level.

Yet. The Games are locked in, but not locked down.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Although the number of domestic ticket-holders is being held to a max of 50% capacity of the stadium or 10,000 fans, whichever is less -- by order of the JOC -- the number of tickets issues to corporate sponsors is not being reduced, and in some events 70 percent of seats are reserved for the corporate sponsors of the Olympics! One of my friends is a volunteer for the Olympics and has recently received instructions to expect a full stadium. Another friend told me the corporate sponsor ticket holders will have a questionnaire to fill out before entering a stadium about about their health and recent contacts with infected individuals, and a fever check -- but it sounds very much like TV cameras will show full stadiums. There's no problem finding enough Japanese to attend games. If anything, hosts will find it easier to manage their guests lists!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

One correction is that this applies only on the individual level, if we are talking about populations then a more contagious strain becomes deadlier even if it does not kill more easily, precisely because it will spread more easily and cause more cases and deaths.

Silly and ridiculous simplification. Just stop, you have no expertise whatsoever to speak about this subject.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

@Antiquesavings

Are you serious? Do you just make stuff up?

India an Pakistan no passport travel!!???

Perhaps you should look up the history between these two countries.

Passports are 100% needed not only that but travel between these two countries is extremely restricted!

I have been to 3 out of that list of countries that I mentioned earlier. I am aware of the history of those two countries. Indians and Pakistanis can travel to each other's countries pretty easily on pilgram visas. Afghanis and Pakistanis can literally walk between countries avoiding official borders ala Osama bin laden. Nepalese citizens don't need a Pakistan visa, 30 days stay is granted after arrival in Pakistan. A citizen of Nepal entering India by land or air does not require a passport or Visa for entry in India. The same is true going the other way an Indians can live in Nepal permanently. Sri Lankan and Maldives do not require visas for each other. Sri Lankans do not need a visa for India.

It makes it very easy to spread the delta variant among countries. The link is the lovable Nepalese that all countries keep letting in. They are like the Swedes of the middle East!

6 ( +7 / -1 )

am aware of the history of those two countries. Indians and Pakistanis can travel to each other's countries pretty easily on pilgram visas. 

You should look up the rules!

If you call them easy I would be interested in knowing what you call hard/difficult!!!

Let me remind you what you wrote:

*One of the reasons that these countries are singled out is because they all have agreements with each other. *All the citizens from these countries do not need passports to travel back in forth. 

a quick look at the rules on all the government websites will show one needs a visa and passport to travel between all these countries with only India and Nepal not needing one.

So basically your statement was false for all but India and Nepal

India SriLankan passport and visa versa.

Pakistan and Nepal visa and passport.

India and Pakistan passport and visa plus a valid reason for travel.

You are trying to find something that is not there or an issue, to justify your obvious bias towards those of that region, there is another word for that bias but I will refrain from using it.

-9 ( +1 / -10 )

100% vaccinated participants, media, diplomats etc… can only come in! Especially from the highest infected areas!

Kindness and politeness is not applicable in this pandemic. I worry for the unvaccinated.

People arriving unvaccinated are putting themselves and others in harms way.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Isn’t the Olympics about uniting rather than dividing? All participants ( including athletes and officials ) should be asked to do these strict testing of daily for 7 days prior to arrival. Don’t select a few countries as the article suggest. The US, Brazil, France, Russia, UK have all worst infection rate than a few countries mentioned for stricter test.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

How have you eliminated the possibility that another country didn't release the virus near the facility in Wuhan in order to do a false flag operation on the Chinese?

-20( +5 / -25 )

Haters gonna hate. But haters not gonna answer the question.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

"Haters gonna hate. But haters not gonna answer the question."

Do you have a Chinese wife? Because I have often seen that those white folks who love China do it because they have married a Chinese girl.

A country where even its own citizens can not freely move around or report on sensitive facilities and you think that people from some other country will take the trouble of flying all the way to WIV and releasing the virus just because it satisfies your fantasy that China is innocent and can do no wrong.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Cancelling the games is the most sensible obvious option.

Why risk lives , ok the games has cost billions of yen, but how much do you wish to put on your own families life

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Silly and ridiculous simplification. Just stop, you have no expertise whatsoever to speak about this subject.

Not at all, it is entirely correct, as sure as you could not even refute it. You have absolutely no ifnormation about what expertise I have or not, so you cannot speak about it.

Unless you can bring proof, else those are just baseless personal attacks.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

The example of Brazil is useful precisely because it demonstrate that even if the treatment is widely available and used that did not protected the population, and proponents have failed to explain why. 

Some cities or regions of Brazil (not the entire country) distributed large amounts of ivermectin to their population and observed large and rapid decreases in cases while neighboring regions did not.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8088823/

Japan could easily achieve similar results, or maybe even just distributing it in the Kanto region during and right after the Olympics, at least offer it to the athletes, staff and volunteers.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Some cities or regions of Brazil (not the entire country) distributed large amounts of ivermectin to their population and observed large and rapid decreases in cases while neighboring regions did not.

The study completely depends on the unproved assumption that only the cities mentioned had a widespread use of the drug, and that the reduction of cases and deaths happened in the treated individuals, it does not present evidence of any of those things, which is a huge weakness. It is understandable that they did not properly analyze the case in Brazil (no epidemiological treatment of the data at all) because it is not the main point of the report, but precisely for that is why actual studies are necessary.

As observed by the local experts, the treatment has not demonstrated efficacy even when widely distributed and used in the population, finding a higher rate of infections between people being treated with ivermectin as a precaution is something that directly contradicts the supposed efficacy of the drug and requires explanation.

PMC7747809,

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/952770

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01353-2

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

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