In the fifth wave of the new coronavirus, in which the highly infectious "Delta strain" is the mainstream, the infection spreads in households raising children, and there are a number of cases in which parents become severely ill.
At a university hospital in the Tokyo metropolitan area, a husband and wife in their 50s died leaving their children, although they continued to treat the couple who became infected with their children and became severely ill.
The Saitama Medical Center General Medical Center in Kawagoe City continues to treat critically ill patients, and in the fifth wave, there are a number of cases in which the generations in their 40s and 50s become severely ill.
On the 31st, in the intensive care unit, a woman in her 40s was being treated hard.
The woman lived with her husband in her 50s and her teenage child, but in mid-August the child had a fever and was confirmed to be infected with the new corona, and women and husbands were also found to be infected one after another.
At first, my symptoms were mild and I was treated at home, but I started to have difficulty breathing, and I was hospitalized about a week after the infection was confirmed.
However, at this time, the condition was almost severe, and two days later, a respirator was needed, and the situation is still unpredictable.
In addition, her husband in his 50s died last week, leaving a child, although his pneumonia worsened and he was treated hard.
The couple has an underlying illness such as diabetes and has not yet been vaccinated, and the child is in the care of a vaccinated relative.
The treating doctor pointed out that proper treatment, such as "antibody cocktail therapy," could have prevented the disease from getting worse before it got worse at home.
Professor Hideaki Oka of the Department of Infectious Diseases said, "There are many cases where the infection spreads in the family and the parents become seriously ill. I try to help my child, but unfortunately I sometimes die. Social activities It is inevitable that the person who runs the hospital and has a child will die suddenly. "
On top of that, "The whole family gets worse and I'm in a state of putting on a ventilator. This happens is a disaster, and when one is over, the next patient is coming, so I have to switch. On the medical battlefield. "It has become a harsh situation."
Efforts to take care of the remaining children
With the spread of the new coronavirus infection, the younger generation who are raising children have become more seriously ill and are being hospitalized one after another. In Minato Ward, Tokyo, efforts are underway to take care of the remaining children.
If a guardian becomes infected with the new corona and is hospitalized and cannot take care of the child, in Minato Ward, the remaining child will be taken care of by a relative, or if it is difficult, the health center will protect it. Adjust the tip.
In addition to receiving temporary protection at a medical institution commissioned by a child guidance center, we have been promoting efforts to take care of children in a hotel room rented by the ward since the end of April last year.
Children under the age of 18 who are relatives and have no place to take care of them at the hotel must be checked as "negative" by the PCR test.
At the hotel, childcare workers from a childcare company commissioned by the ward are stationed 24 hours a day to assist in childcare and bathing, and to provide meals.
So far, 21 children aged 4 to 15 have used it, and this year, when the fifth wave spreads, we are already dealing with households that exceed last year.
Katsusuke Nishikawa, chief of the Minato Ward Children's and Family Affairs Division, said, "In some cases, parents and siblings are all positive and only one small child is left. Even if parents need to be hospitalized, they can concentrate on treatment with peace of mind. I want to respond so that they can get it. "