Omicron strains spread rapidly, making it difficult to identify close contacts and contain the infection.
In addition, as the number of medical professionals who are considered to be close contacts and are unable to go to work is increasing, volunteer experts responded to the Omicron stock at the expert meeting of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare held on the 24th. Asked to convert.
A shift in response to close contacts was sought during a meeting held on the 24th by 11 volunteer experts.
According to the material showing the purpose, the Omicron strain cannot identify and contain close contacts because the time required for an infected person to infect another person and the incubation period are short and the infection spreads quickly. It is supposed to be.
In addition, as the infection spread, many people were designated as close contacts, and when we investigated the reason why medical staff were absent from work at medical institutions in Kanagawa prefecture, we found that they and their families became close contacts. It is said that it occupied 80%.
For this reason, volunteer experts say that the conventional method is an obstacle to the maintenance of society and medical care, and it is necessary to change the response to close contacts.
Regarding this, Takaji Wakita, chairman of the expert meeting, said, "Epidemiological investigations at homes, facilities for the elderly, and hospitals will continue to be important." It is expected that discussions will proceed on how to make specific changes.