Airport quarantine significantly increases positive rate Expert "Strengthen border measures"

The percentage of people who arrived from India or Nepal, where the mutated coronavirus, which is said to be highly infectious, is spreading, is positive in the airport quarantine test, and the positive rate has increased significantly since the middle of last month. I understand.

In some cases, it does not become positive at the timing of airport quarantine and it seems that it has slipped through, so it is very important for experts to be able to promptly strengthen border measures when the positive rate rises. I point out.

Since January, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has been conducting antigen tests on all immigrants, and the results are summarized by country or region where they have stayed within two weeks before entering Japan.

According to this, until the end of March, the number of people who had stayed in India within two weeks and became positive was one or two per week, and the positive rate remained below 1%. Was there.

However, in the beginning of last month, the positive rate increased to 1.57% in the week up to the 3rd of last month, 1.82% by the 10th, 4.30% by the 17th, and 26 were positive in the week up to the 24th. The positive rate was 6.00%, 36 people were positive in the week leading up to the 1st of this month, and the positive rate was 5.76%.

During this time, the government has been taking measures to undergo a PCR test within 72 hours before leaving the country, requesting the presentation of documents showing negative results, and requesting that people wait at home for 14 days after entering the country. From the 1st of this month, we started measures to have immigrants from India stay in the accommodation facility for 3 days even if the airport quarantine is negative, but it did not become positive at the timing of the airport quarantine, but it became positive after a few days. It seems that there are cases where it has slipped through.

Since then, the number of positive immigrants from India was 22 in the week leading up to the 8th of this month, with a positive rate of 3.35%, and Nepal, a neighboring country where similar mutant viruses are spreading. By the 1st of this month, 31 people were positive and the positive rate was 8.76%, and by the 8th, 40 people were positive and the positive rate was 7.60%.

Of the positive airport quarantines, those who entered from both countries accounted for 70.53% of the total by the 1st of this month and 75.61% by the 8th.

From the 10th of this month, the government has taken measures such as having immigrants from India and Nepal stay in accommodations for 6 days even if the airport quarantine is negative.

A member of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's expert meeting, Professor Koji Wada of the International University of Health and Welfare said, "At the end of March, a month before the border measures were strengthened, airport quarantine began to detect mutant viruses spreading in India. After that, the number of positives and the positive rate increased in April, and it should have been considered to strengthen at this timing. Since it takes time to make decisions across various ministries and agencies, it will take time to make decisions in the future. In order to deal with mutant viruses, it is necessary to create a mechanism that can quickly make decisions on strengthening countermeasures based on the situation at the airport quarantine. "

Confirmed infection of 29 mutant viruses from India Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced that it had confirmed a total of 29 people in the country by the 24th regarding the mutated new coronavirus that seems to be spreading in India.

In order to detect the mutant virus at an early stage, local governments nationwide extract some samples of people who have been confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus and send them to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.

As a result of gene analysis, a mutant virus that seems to be spreading in India was detected in 29 people by the 24th.

The number has increased by 21 since the last announcement on the 18th of this month.

By prefecture, there were 6 in Chiba and Osaka, 5 in Tokyo and Shizuoka, 4 in Hyogo, 2 in Kanagawa, and 1 in Hiroshima.

Airport quarantine has detected Indian mutant virus in 160 of those who arrived by the 7th of this month, and the government has extended the period of waiting at national accommodations from 28 days to 10 days after entering the country. We are strengthening border measures such as

Expert "The virus may be easier to spread than ever before"

The mutated new coronavirus spreading in India is said to be more infectious than the mutated virus spreading in Japan, and a member of the expert meeting of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Professor Koji Wada of the International University of Health and Welfare said, "Flying. The amount of virus contained in the virus may increase, making it easier for the virus to spread. "

Professor Wada introduced the case of a highly infectious mutant virus that has become mainstream in Japan, saying, "With conventional viruses, when one person was infected at home, only a few people were infected in the family. However, the number of cases in which the entire family is infected with the mutant virus is increasing. Even with the mutant virus, the points of infection control are the same as before, but even if you wear a mask, you can talk for an hour or two in a small room. If so, small jumps will leak out. Thorough basic measures will continue to be required. "

Some medical institutions start screening tests

Some medical institutions in Tokyo have begun screening tests to see if any of their patients have been infected with the Indian mutant virus.

At Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, a screening test will be conducted from the 6th of this month to check whether all patients who have been infected with the new coronavirus and have been hospitalized are infected with the mutant virus that spreads in India. doing.

So far, I have been investigating mutant viruses found in the United Kingdom and other countries, but I started this month after a rapid spread of new mutant viruses in India.

By the 24th, 37 people had been tested and found that one was infected with the Indian variant virus.

The patient was temporarily severely ill and was put on a ventilator, but he was given antivirals and anti-inflammatory drugs and his symptoms improved.

There were no particular differences compared to the symptoms of patients infected with the British variant virus.

The patient had no history of traveling abroad, and Associate Professor Hiroaki Takeuchi of the Department of Virus Control, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, said, "It is sufficient that the patient is infected in the city and there are people in the vicinity who are infected with this mutant virus. It is possible. "

On top of that, "It is important to investigate the spread of Indian-type mutant virus in considering what kind of medical system the hospital should prepare in the future. Currently, there are only a few cases of infection, but we have to take stronger measures. It's quite possible that we'll follow the same path in the coming months, as the British variant virus has gradually spread. "

Expert “Early administration is important for therapeutic drugs”

In cases of severe illness caused by the highly infectious mutated coronavirus that is spreading in Japan, it is said that the speed of illness is faster than that of normal viruses.

Regarding this, Tsuneo Morishima, a visiting professor at Aichi Medical University, who is familiar with the treatment of the new coronavirus, said, "Infectious viruses have mutated viral protrusions and easily stick to human cells, so many lungs enter the lungs. There is a high possibility that it will infect the cells of the virus, and it is easy to become severe. In the process of infecting many cells, inflammation occurs due to an excessive immune reaction called cytokine storm, and the symptoms worsen. " ..

On top of that, regarding the three therapeutic agents, "remdesivir," which is an antiviral drug approved in Japan, and "dexamethasone," and "baricitinib," which suppress inflammation, "the process by which a mutant virus propagates in cells is the same as that of conventional viruses. Remdesivir is thought to be effective in treating mutant viruses because it prevents the virus from multiplying in cells, and the other two treatments suppress and regulate abnormal immune responses. I can think of it. "

However, in the case of infection with a mutant virus, it is said that the speed of aggravation is fast. "It is especially important to use remdesivir, which suppresses the growth of the virus, at the earliest possible timing. Also, many cells are infected at once, which is extremely important. It is said that it is difficult to suppress the use of dexamethasone alone because it causes a violent cytokine storm, and it is also important to treat it in combination with baricitinib to suppress the immune runaway. "

In addition, visiting professor Morishima said that although it is often unknown about the mutant virus that spreads in India, although it seems to be effective as a therapeutic drug, it was found in the United Kingdom considering the ease of binding to cells. He pointed out that it may be necessary to treat the mutant virus in the same way.

Reported in 60 countries and regions around the world WHO

WHO = World Health Organization has released a report that the first mutant coronavirus found in India was reported in 60 countries and regions around the world as of the 25th. ..

According to a WHO report, the number of reported mutant viruses first found in India was 65 countries and regions around the world as of last week, but after scrutinizing the information, as of 25th, the United States It has been confirmed that there are 60 countries and regions such as the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia.

The virus has multiple mutations that can increase its infectivity and reduce the activity of antibodies that attack the virus.In India, about 200,000 people are infected each day. There are concerns about the spread of the infection.

In addition, the number of countries and regions where the first confirmed variant virus was reported in the United Kingdom was 155 on the 25th, an increase of four from the previous week.

In addition, the number of countries / regions where the mutant virus confirmed in South Africa was reported increased by 5 to 111, and the number of countries / regions where the mutant virus confirmed in Brazil was reported increased by 1 to 62.

According to WHO, it takes time for vaccines to spread, and if the spread of infection continues, the possibility of new mutant viruses will increase, and it is important to take measures against infections for individuals and society as a whole.