anon99999 comments

Follow the money, One side of the current quarantine requirements is the mandatory hotel stay which as pointed out in this thread is costing the government, ie taxpayer a lot of money. As stands now in Japan where omicron is everywhere it serves no useful health purpose in stopping the spread of the virus. Returning vaccinated people who tested negative are most likely to get Covid once they are released into daily life in Japan rather than ever bringing it in to the country. So whilst it may give the government a pretence of doing something to protect the country, the huge payoffs to the business hotels for the quarantine are obviously factor in its continuance. Something akin to the Abe masks which was also all about payoffs rather than health. Follow the money. Unfortunately never done in Japanese journalism

Virusrex

omicron is far better protection against covid than vaccines. No one is promoting it as a vaccine but it is what it is and it spreads easily even to vaccinated people with a third booster. Millions of people have had it with no symptoms or ideas they have had it. But they all have the protection now.

Why does Africa have no covid problem despite almost everyone being unvaccinated. It is because omicron spread around and is simply the better vaccine

The natural protection promoted by people who get infected with omicron (because the government is still to give out boosters) turns out far to be far better (undisputed by all medical experts now) and is FREE

why are they wasting money on a belated vaccine campaign when it will all be over

We are at a plateau in cases controlled by the limited number of tests. Look at the numbers of small prefectures the bounce around in a defined range which will never get much higher because they simply don’t have the capacity to do more tests which would see them with even higher cases. Thus the rise and fall to the peak of cases is obscured. Eventually though the numbers will go down and fall from the range they are bouncing in now and then we will see the decline, but for now it’s still somewhere on the obscured peak

That is a lot of people! Hope they get better soon. I think I had it 2 weeks ago. Main symptom was incredible fatigue and tiredness for 2-3 days as well as joint pain.

And how many 100,000s are at home recovering from a cold like illness which they never tested for or even went to the doctor which probably was omicron.

And how many 100,000s had omicron with No symptoms at all.

Queensland Australia did some interesting random COVID testing. 1 in 6 found with COVID of which 80% had NO idea they had COVID - zero symptoms.

https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/94380

There may be no cap on the number of tests per day but very interesting why are the number of test per day always the same in Tokyo never much more than 30,000 , probably the lowest rate per capita in the developed world and with the highest positivity rates from those meagre test per day.. Is it coincidence? Or do people just not want to get tested ( unlike some here who have been tested multiple times) even though they very easily can if they want according to some? Or is the virus numbers just limited to these extraordinary numbers which see the positive numbers fluctuating around the same and unlikely to ever get any higher before they inevitably drop.

Queensland in Australia did an interesting experiment. They did some random COVID testing, Results were the same. Around 30% infected of which 90% had absolutely NO symptoms or no idea they had the virus! I imagine if you did a similar random test from a busy train in Tokyo the results would be similar or more likely even a higher % infected with no idea about it. This is Omicron.

Yes the test capping has prevented it getting much higher. And this applies not only to Tokyo but to most prefectures where they too bounce around at their current highest levels because they too simply do not do ( either do not want to or simply do not have the capacity ) enough tests for it to be able to get any significantly higher, A smaller prefecture never gets tests in the thousands they simply cannot process that many tests.

However two days running now the daily totals are less than the previous week same day totals and this may indicate the peak has been reached. like Okinawa and Hiroshima. As much as the nay sayers may want the current peak to continue forever along with their exaggerated Omicron fear mongering (which is simply not backed up by any science), the fact is the numbers will decline and maybe quicker than previous waves and also simply Omicron is not as serious as previous waves ( fully confirmed by the science now)

Countries like Australia and South Korea who have had over 90% of people vaccinated have deliberately let omicron spread based

Japan in effect is doing exactly the same thing. The quasI SOE restrictions do very very little to stop the spread ( as do the border restrictions) and are just window dressing so the government can pretend to be seen as doing something for people’s health whereby in reality they are happily letting it spread and even keep this under wraps with their totally minimal testing.

Yes, Go Nippon Go, do it again.

Bur first please send my voucher. No one can get vaccinated without it. Over 7 months and I am still waiting. Rang the health office, They said sorry they are behind in printing out the vouchers. Also they only send them out ONCE a week. - All those they have printed out the previous week saved to be sent the week later, There is Japanese efficiency and urgency for you Yes Go Nippon

Don't worry. Japan is aiming to do 1000000 vaccine doses a day to stem the virus( now just about at its peak unless the numbers are just flattening out because they have reached the limits of their testing) After promising to talk about giving boosters in various headlines since December they have now well into February upgraded their reporting to a definite aim to give many doses. ( of course many people still have a couple months to wait until they get their coupons so will only be getting their booster after the current wave has subsided)

Those fully vaccinated should get BOOSTER after 5 months

No that is simply not possible in Japan whatever you may think as you need a voucher. My prefecture is after 7 months but it has not arrived for me yet and then I will have waiting time till I get a slot. Total time til I will be able to get a booster will end up being 8 or more months. Nothing to do with what I want to do but all about what is possible to do in the Japanese system

Yep! I do! Just got mine for my Booster! Getting it next Sunday.

good for you. You are lucky aren't you

But that does not change anything for most people who have not got their vouchers yet. Many who have more months to wait till they are even sent out ,or those like myself where even though they are supposed to have been sent out they have not. No one can get their vaccine till they have their voucher and there is no choice in the matter till then.

Get your Vaccine 

to all the people who continually post this. Do you live in Japan? Do you understand the system here? One cannot get the vaccine until you get vouchers in the post from the government. This does not come for 7plus months from your last vaccine. You have no choice in the matter without vouchers. I am already over 7 Months . NO Voucher. Rang the health office they said maybe next week or the week after.

After voucher arrives only then you can make a booking which might be some weeks later depending on what slots are available

ian

Get vaccinated

I wonder if you or others who keep saying this live in Japan or understand the vaccine system here, as one can not just get vaccinated here by choice. One needs coupons that do not get sent out till after 7 or 8 months after your last shot, depending on prefecture. Most people in Japan still have a couple months to wait. In my case already more than 7 months but no coupons. Local health office said maybe next week as they are backlogged. Then I have to make a booking if there is a slot which could be several more weeks

It is clear sea re approaching the maximum number of daily cases the testing rate in Japan will ever show. And not just in Tokyo but all prefectures. Differences between prefectures is often simply just less tests. Bigger cities more labs therefore more tests and more cases. Smaller prefectures can never have thousands of cases they just simply never do enough tests as they are just not able to do more for this to be possible, As for Tokyo some people said they had the capacity for 100,000 tests a day. This has never happened nor will it even if there is the capacity (which is unlikely) as they simply do not want to find so many cases, it will be interesting to see about the new no test cases just designated by doctors, I suspect because they are not actually be from tests they will not be counted in the official numbers.

Here is what awaits him or her when initially released after the two negatives in 24 hours however long that takes

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/covid-19-hell-leaves-olympic-skeleton-racer-in-tears-20220203-p59tfm.html

smart people will learn from own mistakes but seems so Kishidas team is not so able to do so...tax moany are going to be wasted again

whether the vaccines work or not it does seem somewhat absurd and waste of public money to be administering them at the end of the wave or when it is already over which is what is going to be happening in Japan with the 7 + month wait ( plus voucher time wait plus booking wait) . Most people not even at 7 months yet.

places to vaccinate are totally useless without vouchers. My prefecture I am supposedly eligible after 7 months which has already passed but NOT arrived. I rang the health center. They said they are only posted out ONCE a week on Mondays - all they have printed and organized in the previous week so MAYBE it will come next week BUT they are too busy so they cannot keep up so it might be ANOTHER week later. She doesn’t know and can NOT check. She said SORRY of course. AFTER the voucher arrives you have to book so then it will be another some weeks or months. Last time I the earliest I could make a booking after the voucher arrived was about 5 weeks! So I might be able to get my booster towards mid/ late March I guess. After 7 months turning out more like after 9!

Japan bureaucracy and sense of urgency at its very finest. But this side of the story doesn’t get in the news. Furthermore isn’t it a bit later to suddenly push the vaccines when the wave is already approaching its peak and people won’t be able to get boosters till it’s over

It seems that Tokyo still at around 30,000 tests a days so we are talking about an around 70% positivity rate. Surely one of the highest in the world, As this appears the maximum amount of tests per day that they are willing and/or able to do the maximum number that can ever be reached will be 30,000 if there is a world breaking 100% positivity day

10 movies you don’t want to see is a better title for me

This is exactly as many predicted when news was widespread of several cases were confined on a fully vaccinated ship on the way there from a fellow country in the region with one of the highest daily case % per population the world these days

Mondays which reports the tests taken on Sundays when there is always even less testing than usual. Always a drop from the day before although one can note it is far higher than the same day the week before. And it will be followed by a bigger spike tomorrow. It is the Japanese way and just goes to show how meaningless the Japanese numbers are other than showing there are a lot of case these days

Kishida urged people to get jabbed speedily after receiving their vaccine tickets from local municipalities.

Thats great except the key point is out doesn't matter how many centers the PM opens you can only go when your get your vaccine tickets and they are simply not being sent out till after 6/7/8 months from your second shot depending on your prefecture. Thus it is just another pretend show he is doing something as it won't change the fact that many people will not get their for a few more months yet when the current wave has already finished. personally I am already at 7 months and no ticket

Luckily we live in Japan not Austria,. Here there a re no rules ile Austria or many other countries, zero restrictions or discrimination to being unvaccinated. NO rules to go anywhere or do anything. I think it must be illegal to even ask someone if you are vaccinated or not. Work, medical visits place I thought might want to know if people are vaccinated or not have never asked. Restaurants, shops, offices etc of course never too. It does not even seem to make difference to reentry to the country quarantine rules either.

Yes, contact tracing has shown in the past that bars, snacks and pubs 

The only thing is areas of Japan do not do contact tracing very much. As reported on the news, and was the case last peak, Japan drops contact tracing all together once the numbers rise a little as they simply don't have the ability to do it so they stop even trying. Their contact tracing when they were doing it when the numbers are low is pretty limited anyhow as the criteria for being called a close contact are such that they already exclude most people anyhow. So they pick up a few bar or restaurant so called clusters in the early day which mange to paget though the close contact limitations, but once it becomes widespread like now there are countless clusters (proven as the numbers are greatly rising) that they have no idea where as they longer check and they are no longer at the bars and restaurants which are shut.

What is so different in the SOE to the quasi SOE other than the name? Do the restaurants close earlier ( whilst still totally full for the rest of the day)? is there anything in it that really will stop omicron’s inevitable spread?

How about doing something about speeding up the boosters which might perhaps be more useful rather than giving them to everyone when the omicron wave has already subsided which is their current plan with their 6/7/8 month waiting time till they send the necessary vouchers

Still waiting for my invite to get the booster jab

That is the point here in Japan. Still waiting for your voucher and for most people here they will still be waiting till after the omicron wave has already subsided. Maybe the Japanese government knows something other countries don’t know about the lack of effectiveness of the boosters because they seem hard bent on not giving them out in a hurry even with the current numbers

Possibly reaching the limit of number of cases the limited number of testing will allow. This applies not only Tokyo but smaller prefectures too. They simply cannot do much greater numbers of tests which might show continued rise and instead will fluctuate around these maximums for awhile till they go down

Jtsnose telling people to get a booster. In case you are not aware you cannot get a booster without a coupon from the government. It is not a matter of wanting one as you simply cannot get one.

In many prefectures this means you cannot get the Coupon till AFTER 7 months from your second shot. After it arrives you can make a booking if one is available which might be weeks. (Perhaps some prefectures are 6 months and others still at 8 months)

According to the news last night the reason for this was from a request from business leaders because hard to keep businesses running with staff shortages. The lead story was about an imminent collapse of garbage collection due to staff shortages. Simply too many people isolating many with no symptoms and not even tested, just close contacts. Whilst late in the game to make these changes already widespread abroad, business needs hurried them along. Unfortunately though when it comes to booster vaccinations, there seems no business considerations and they are still stuck on 6/7/8 months even as cases drastically increase.