Many people were infected with the "sixth wave" of the new coronavirus Omicron strain.
However, the number of infected people has not decreased significantly as it did when the "Fifth Wave" converged, and it can be said that the number of infected people has stopped declining.
Even if they are not infected, there are still many people who have become infected with their family members or nearby people and have become close contacts.
If my family becomes a close contact, will I become a "close contact"?
We have compiled the latest information such as the waiting period and the response when the family is infected.
(As of April 4, 2022)
Q1. What is the definition of a close contact person in the first place?
How far is the close contact?
A close contact is a person who may have been infected by contacting the infected person at close range or for a long time.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the important points when determining whether or not a person is a close contact are as follows.
[Period of contact]
・ Up to 10 days after the onset when the infected person stops excreting the virus (7 days after the sample for testing is collected if the infected person is asymptomatic)
[Guideline for contact]
・If you touch the infected person without wearing a mask, or if you reach out to each other for more than 15 minutes, or if you
may have touched the infected person's body fluids directly.
● Cases that are not considered to be close contacts
・
If there is an infected person in the family or if you are caring for an infected person, this guideline may apply, but it is done at a medical institution or nursing facility. As you can see, if you have good infection control measures in place, you are not considered a close contact.
・ In addition, even if the contact was for 15 minutes or more, the specifics of the place, such as whether the environment was such that the person was having a conversation, singing a song or making a loud voice, and whether the ventilation was sufficient. Whether or not you are judged to be a close contact depends on the situation.
Q2. Who decides whether to be a close contact?
Regarding the response of close contacts, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare allows the local government to make flexible decisions according to the local situation, such as when the infection situation is worsening.
On that basis, the idea of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is as follows.
Whether or not you are a close contact depends on where the infected person occurred.
1. When an infected person appears in a household living together, a
health center or the like is supposed to identify a close contact person and request behavioral restrictions.
This is because family members living together are at high risk of being infected.
Even if it says "specific", it is not necessary for the health center to interview each person.
2. When an infected person appears in the workplace, etc. It
is considered that the risk of infection is lower than that of a family living together, and if infection control measures are taken firmly in the workplace, there are cases where the infection does not spread further.
For this reason, the health center is not required to identify uniform close contacts.
Determine whether the workplace where the infected person came out or the person who came into contact with them is a close contact person.
3. When an infected person appears in a medical institution, a facility for the elderly, etc. In a facility
where there are many people with high risk even if it is an Omicron strain, the health center is supposed to quickly identify the close contact.
4. When an infected person appears in a nursery school, kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, etc.
The local government and the board of education will cooperate to decide in advance what to do to identify the close contact.
In particular, there may be differences in the implementation status of measures such as masks between preschoolers and elementary school students and above, so the response may differ.
Q3. My family is infected and I have a close contact ... What should I do?
[How long is the waiting period at home?
]
If an infected person appears in a family member living together and becomes a close contact, you will be required to wait at home.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare sets the waiting period in this case to 7 days.
[When do you count the number of days to wait?
]
1 Day when the infected person develops
2 Day when the infected person is asymptomatic
3 Day when the infection is known and "infection control" is taken
The latest day among these 1 to 3 is set to 0 day increase.
After that, you will have to wait at home for 7 days, and it will be canceled from the 8th day.
However, if the result is negative using the nationally approved rapid test kit (antigen qualitative test) on the 4th and 5th days, it can be canceled from the 5th day.
So what kind of measures are "infection control"?
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the "infection control" envisioned this time is not a strict isolation that completely separates the rooms and eliminates any contact.
Specifically, to the extent possible in daily life, ▽ wearing a mask ▽ washing hands, disinfecting hands and fingers ▽ avoiding sharing of supplies, etc. ▽ disinfection is carried out.
In addition, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, if it is difficult for young children to wear masks thoroughly, it is possible to take measures such as thoroughly washing hands and avoiding sharing towels.
In addition to this, it is necessary to take basic infection control measures as much as possible, such as ventilation and avoiding contact as much as possible.
What if another family member develops during the waiting period?
]
If a family member other than the family member who was first found to be infected is confirmed to be infected during the waiting period, the number of days will be recounted.
What if my child gets infected?
]
● In the case of mild
illness Consider the case where the child's infection is confirmed, the child is on standby at home due to mild illness, and immediate measures are taken to prevent infection at home.
The family will be on standby for 7 days, with the child's onset date as 0 days.
And it will be canceled on the 8th day.
In addition, for infected children themselves, if the onset date is 0 days for 10 days and the symptoms have subsided for 72 hours, the medical treatment will be completed without undergoing an examination.
(* If your symptoms worsen, please be sure to consult with a consultation desk, etc.)
● If you are asymptomatic, the
infected child can cancel the medical treatment 7 days after collecting the sample.
For close contacts, the waiting period at home is 7 days, with the day when the infected child collects the sample as 0 day (when infection control measures are taken at home from the date of sample collection).
In other words, infected children and their families may be able to release it at the same time.
However, even if it is initially asymptomatic, if it develops after that, the onset date will be recounted as 0 days.
In either case, the day when the test result is known is not the starting point, so if you start infection control without waiting for the result on the day you received the test, there is a possibility that the waiting at home of the close contact will be canceled sooner. I have.
[Can I live normally if the waiting at home is canceled?
]
If the close contact person's waiting at home is canceled, you will be able to commute to work or school.
However, until the end of the medical treatment period for infected people, it is necessary to take measures against infection such as checking the health condition by themselves, such as measuring the temperature for fever, using high-risk places, and avoiding dinner.
(* It is necessary to continue general infection control regardless of the medical treatment period or waiting period.)
Also, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, if you are infected with the Omicron strain, the probability of developing it by the 7th day is It is 94.5%, and the probability of developing it by the 10th day is 99.2%.
In other words, it is said that a risk of about 5% remains in the waiting period of 7 days.
For this reason, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will check the health condition by itself, such as temperature measurement, avoid high-risk places and dinners, and wear masks for up to 10 days after the waiting is lifted. We are requesting thorough infection control measures.
Q4. Contact with an infected person at a place other than home ... What should I do?
[When an infected person appears at work]
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare basically does not set restrictions on behavior such as waiting at home when an infected person appears in a workplace such as a business establishment.
However, for those who have been in contact with infected people, for 7 days from the last day of contact, visit high-risk elderly people and facilities for the elderly, eat and drink with an unspecified number of people, and participate in large-scale events. It means to inform people to refrain from behaviors with high risk of infection.
In addition, if you eat or drink with an infected person without taking measures such as wearing a mask at work, for example, in addition to waiting for 5 days, you can take voluntary tests to confirm negative results to prevent the spread of infection. I'm asking you to take.
[For medical institutions and facilities for the elderly]
In the case of medical institutions and facilities for the elderly, you are basically required to wait for 7 days as before.
However, if the antigen test is negative on the 4th and 5th days, even if you are not an essential worker, you can cancel the waiting from the 5th day.
In addition, it is possible for medical staff to go to work even if they have close contact, if they perform daily tests and confirm a negative result.
Q5. How should I live while waiting at home?
When waiting at home, refrain from going out unnecessarily and urgently as much as possible, and if it is unavoidable, take measures against infection such as wearing a mask and washing hands to avoid contact with people.
It also means that you need to refrain from commuting to work or school.
The Infectious Disease Control Department of Tokyo, which is in charge of measures against the new corona in Tokyo, does the following.
▽ Refrain from going out unnecessarily and urgently, and wait at home without going to work or school.
▽ While waiting, measure your body temperature twice daily, morning and evening, to check if there is any abnormality in your physical condition.
▽ If you have symptoms such as fever or cough, see your family doctor or a medical institution where you can inspect and treat the new corona.
▽ Avoid using public transportation as much as possible.
If you become a close contact, it is important to think "maybe you are infected" and act until the specified period has passed.
(* See also Tokyo's website: For those who have a new coronavirus infection-if you think you are a close contact person-)
For those who have a new coronavirus infection-if you think you are a close contact-
* Leave the NHK site
Q6. What should I do with "dense contacts"?
According to the Infectious Disease Control Department of Tokyo, when a family member has a close contact, the whole family acts except for the person who has a close contact because there is no concept of "a close contact". Is not restricted, and the government does not restrict its actions. "
However, there are cases where the rules are set individually depending on the place of work or school, so we would like you to discuss with the company or school and follow each rule.
Of course, it may be possible to find out that the person was actually infected, such as when a close contact person develops the disease while waiting.
In case of infection, during the waiting period of the family who became a close contact,
▽ Divide the space as much as possible, such as avoiding sharing towels at home and staggering meal times. Living
▽ Protect your cough etiquette by wearing a mask, wash your hands and disinfect with alcohol
▽ Disinfect things that you frequently touch such as door knobs and TV remotes
▽ Ventilate regularly.
Since it is said that the rate of illness of Omicron strains has decreased, it may be easier to think about it than before, but even so, mainly for the elderly and people with underlying diseases. People with severe illness have been reported around the world.
Be alert, especially if you have a family member who is at high risk of becoming more severe, especially if you have an underlying illness or are older.
Q7. Re-expansion of infection?
!!
What should I be careful about?
It is known that Omicron strains are often transmitted at home.
The infection route of the Omicron strain is the same as that of the new coronavirus so far, and it is said that the infection is mainly caused by flying infections, especially so-called "micro-flying" (including aerosols) in poorly ventilated areas. It is thought that it can be prevented by thoroughly taking measures against infection.
The caution illustration created by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare lists the following precautions when an infected person appears in a family member.
1. Divide the room
2. Open the window to ventilate
3. Wear a mask
4. Wash your hands diligently and disinfect
the parts you touch 5. Wash dirty linen and clothes
6. Seal and dispose of garbage
Also, Omicron strain Although the restrictions on close contacts have been relaxed compared to before, infection control for each individual remains important.
According to Professor Koji Wada of the International University of Health and Welfare, a member of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's expert meeting, it is especially important that people who are ill should refrain from going out.
(Professor Wada)
"The most important thing is to have people who are not feeling well go out and have them examined as soon as possible. Even those with mild symptoms should avoid meetings where they take off their masks as much as possible. Is important. Even if we meet at the beginning of a university or company, we would like to encourage the small number of people to do it in a short time. "