The infection of Omicron strains has spread rapidly, and the medical and long-term care systems are becoming tight.
As of the 12th, more than 600 medical professionals have been absent from work in Okinawa, limiting emergency and medical care.
Amid concerns about the further spread of infection, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has announced a policy to reduce the waiting period, which is currently 14 days for close contacts of Omicron strains, to 10 days in principle.
We also summarized what is happening in the medical field and the response in Europe and the United States.
■ Waiting period for close contacts 14 days → 10 days
Following the spread of the Omicron strain, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has decided to shorten the waiting period at accommodations and homes, which requires close contacts to maintain social functions.
Close contacts of Omicron strains are currently required to wait 14 days at accommodation or at home, but at an expert meeting of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare held on the 13th, the incubation period is longer than that of the conventional virus. There was an opinion requesting that the waiting period be shortened due to its short length.
In response to this, Prime Minister Kishida discussed with Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Goto on the 14th over the waiting period for close contacts.
After that, Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Goto announced to reporters that the waiting period would be shortened from the current 14 days to 10 days.
Furthermore, regarding "essential workers" who support society and livelihoods such as police, firefighting, public transportation, nursing care and childcare, in addition to medical personnel, PCR will be carried out on the 6th day from the day of the last contact with the infected person at the discretion of the local government. The policy is to be able to cancel the waiting if the test, the antigen quantitative test, or the antigen qualitative test conducted on the 6th and 7th days is negative in succession.
In addition, in local governments where the replacement with Omicron strains has progressed, it is possible to omit the genome analysis that is currently performed for non-infected persons with Delta strains and treat all infected persons as infected with Omicron strains. It means to be able to do it.
Minister Goto said, "We would like to continue to collect scientific knowledge on the infectivity and risk of aggravation of Omicron strains, and to operate the regional medical system firmly and take the initiative to respond to the spread of infection in Japan." Said.
■ Impact on key workers continues ...
Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Goto says that the policy to shorten the waiting period is to maintain social functions, but there are cases where it is already difficult to maintain the functions of "essential workers" in areas where infection is spreading. I have.
<Okinawa> A series of medical workers who cannot work
As of the 12th of this month, there are 628 medical workers who cannot work due to infection or becoming close contacts in Okinawa Prefecture.
Of these, 180 were confirmed to be infected, and a total of 448 medical workers were unable to work due to close contact.
If the medical staff is asymptomatic even if they become close contacts, they are supposed to be able to work if they are tested negatively every day, but depending on the prefecture, there are many people who have symptoms and cannot work. ..
According to the prefecture, as of the 12th, there are 8 medical institutions that restrict the acceptance of emergency medical care and 14 medical institutions that restrict general medical care.
<Okinawa> "I think it's close to the collapse of medical care ..."
At the Yu Ai Medical Center, a priority medical institution for the new Corona in Tomigusuku City, doctors, nurses, and clerical staff have been unable to attend work one after another from around the 4th of this month due to the rapid spread of infection.
According to the hospital, in addition to being infected with the new corona and becoming a close contact, dozens of staff were unable to work as of 13th due to the temporary closure of elementary and junior high schools in the city to take care of children. It means that you are in.
Due to the shortage of staff, 15 of the 20 beds for corona patients in the hospital as of the 13th are occupied, so the hospital will make adjustments to relocate each ward after grasping the attendance status of staff. We are.
Dr. Morikuni Nishihira of Yu Ai Medical Center said, "Winter is a time when ordinary medical care other than corona is tight, and although we should expand the range of medical care provision, we have to reduce the number of staff. There is no situation. I think it is close to the collapse of medical care. "
<Okinawa> Firefighting 3 shift system → 2 shift system
At the fire department in Naha City, infected people appeared in the staff and even close contacts could not go to work, so they were forced to change from "3 shift system" to "2 shift system".
At the "Central Fire Department Kokuba Branch Office" in Yogi, Naha City, the staff was divided into 3 groups of 7 people to work 24 hours a day, and took a rest for 2 days.
However, earlier this month, one of the teams was confirmed to be infected with one employee, and the rest of the members became close contacts and could not go to work.
For this reason, in order to maintain the work of the remaining two teams at this branch office, we changed the duty system to a "two shift system" where we work 24 hours a day and take a day off.
Mr. Yakahikatsu, Chief of the General Affairs Division of the Naha City Fire Department, said, "It will put a burden on the staff, but the firefighting power will never decline, so please do your best."
<Hiroshima> 120 people could not go to work
The impact on "key workers" is spreading to other regions as well, and in Hiroshima prefecture, infections have occurred one after another at medical institutions and transportation facilities, and at least 120 people have been unable to go to work so far.
Infections are also occurring one after another in the field of education and childcare, and at least 68 elementary schools, junior high schools, and nursery schools in the prefecture are closed or closed, and the effects of parents taking a break from work are spreading.
■ Unprecedented pace of increase
Comparing the number of newly infected people with the new coronavirus on average for one week, the number of infected people nationwide has continued to increase sharply since the beginning of this month, and the infection spreads at an unprecedented pace in Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa and other parts of the country. It has become.
<Nationwide>
▽ In the week up to 16th of last month, 1.12 times compared to the previous week
▽ 1.45 times on 23rd of last month
▽ 1.60 times on 30th of last month, which
gradually increased, but the infection of Omicron strain spreads At the same
time,
▽ this month 6th is 4.86 times
▽ by this month 13th,
the pace of increase continues to rise to 6.69 times.
<Tokyo>
▽ One week until the 30th of last month is 1.65 times the previous week ▽
4.48 times the 6th of this
month ▽ 6.90 times by the 13th of this month
<Osaka>
▽ The week until the 30th of last month is 1.96 times the previous week Double
▽ 4.57 times on the 6th of this month
▽ 6.67 times by the 13th of this month
<Okinawa>
▽ 3.59 times of the previous week for the week until the 30th of last month ▽
10.86 times on the 6th of this month
▽ 4.62 times by the 13th of this month
Rapid expansion continues.
■ European countries shorten the quarantine period
Measures have also been taken in European countries to shorten the quarantine period.
[UK] In the UK
, where the number of infected people per day exceeds 100,000 due to the spread of Omicron strains, the number of people who cannot go out due to quarantine has increased rapidly, and there is a shortage of people working in medical institutions, schools and transportation. I am.
Last month, the British government reduced the quarantine period for infected people from 10 days to a minimum of 7 days in England, where London is located, but as the social impact becomes more serious, it will be even shorter from 17th this month to 5 days. I announced that.
According to the announcement, the quarantine can be completed in 5 days if the test confirms negatives twice in a row and there is no fever, and even if the quarantine is completed, it is possible to infect people around you, such as wearing a mask. We want to avoid contact in crowded places.
[France]
France has shortened the quarantine period to 7 days if vaccinated, and medical professionals can be exempted from quarantine if they have no symptoms.
Vaccinated contacts are also exempt from quarantine on condition that they be tested.
[Germany]
Germany has shortened the quarantine period for infected individuals to 7 days if the test is negative, and exempts contacts from quarantine if they have received a booster vaccine.
[Italy]
Italy has also shortened the quarantine period for infected people to 7 days under certain conditions, such as receiving additional vaccinations, and contacts are exempt from quarantine.
The ECDC = European Center for Disease Control and Prevention has set out guidelines that the isolation period for "essential workers" who support society and livelihoods can be shortened to three days if certain conditions such as additional vaccination are met.
<USA> California Continue business if positive but asymptomatic
Even in the United States, the quarantine period has been shortened to 5 days under certain conditions, and there is a growing movement to respond to the social impact of the spread of infection.
California health officials have quarantined health workers if they are asymptomatic until the 1st of next month due to a shortage of health workers due to the spread of the new coronavirus. We have set out a policy to make it unnecessary and continue business.
It is desirable to oblige to wear a high-performance mask when working and to deal with positive patients with the new corona, but this is not the case in emergency wards where tests cannot be performed immediately or in workplaces where labor shortages are serious. It is said that.
However, there are voices of opposition to this policy, saying that it is a dangerous response that may spread the infection to other patients locally.