The number of newly infected people with the new coronavirus on the 6th exceeded 45,000 nationwide.
It's about twice as much as it was a week ago.
In addition, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced on the 6th that it has confirmed that 8341 people are newly infected with the new coronavirus in Tokyo.
It's 2.2 times more than Wednesday a week ago.
In addition to the increase in patients, medical institutions are sometimes forced to respond while being affected by the severe heat.
We asked experts about specific infection control measures during this period when heat stroke is increasing, the impact of one of the Omicron strains "BA.5", and the future outlook for the infection situation.
Increasing number of outpatients with fever at Tokyo clinic
As the infection of the new coronavirus turns to an increasing trend, the number of patients who visit a fever outpatient clinic is increasing at clinics in Tokyo.
At the fever outpatient clinic in Meguro-ku, Tokyo, the number of people requesting medical examinations and examinations has increased this week, and the number of people receiving medical examinations per day has doubled from one month ago to more than 20.
Looking at the list of test results in chronological order, about 10% of the patients who were tested positive in the beginning of last month were positive, but from this month it has increased to about 70%.
On the 6th, a woman in her thirties who had a fever of 38 degrees had a medical examination, and after being interviewed by a doctor and explaining that she had malaise and abdominal pain, she underwent a PCR test.
Also, from the morning, there were a series of calls for outpatients with fever, and in the morning all the reservation slots for the day were full, but even after that, the phone did not ring and the reception staff was busy responding. ..
In some cases, the patient was diagnosed with "heat stroke" and was found to be infected with the new coronavirus.
According to the clinic, many patients complained of severe sore throat in the 6th wave of infection, while patients who recently visited the clinic tend to have a high fever of 38 degrees or higher and complain of malaise. ..
Also, last week, when the hot days continued, there were five cases in which patients who were diagnosed with "heat stroke" were actually infected with the new corona.
For this reason, at the clinic, after listening to the situation in detail by interviewing, if you feel sick or have a fever even after moving to a cool place indoors, you may be suspected of having a new corona or other illness instead of heat stroke. It means that they are carefully distinguished.
Dr. Hiroshi Kamura of "Loco Clinic Nakameguro" said, "The number of outpatients with fever has increased sharply since the beginning of this week. I expected that the spread of the vaccine would not spread the infection again, but it was very difficult. The time has come. Since fever at this time may be other illnesses such as heat stroke and pneumonia due to bacterial infection, it is important to identify by interview and deal with it without mistakes. " I'm talking.
Severe heat Vaccination efforts at home
In response to the increasing trend of infection with the new coronavirus, local doctors in Tokyo have begun efforts to visit elderly people's homes and give them a fourth vaccination.
The fourth vaccination is being promoted for people aged 60 and over, five months after the previous vaccination, but the number of people who have completed the vaccination is about 1.3 million nationwide by the announcement on the 6th. I am.
In particular, there are many elderly people who have difficulty in going to the vaccination site due to their physical disabilities and severe heat.
For this reason, at the home medical care clinic in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, doctors have begun an initiative to directly visit the homes of the elderly and give them a fourth vaccination since last week.
Of these, at the home of a man in his 90s who had a chronic disease such as the heart, a doctor checked his physical condition, vaccinated him, and observed his health for 15 minutes.
The man's wife said, "It's so hot every day that I can't go out and get vaccinated at her home, which is very helpful."
The clinic also provides home visits to Corona's home caregivers, but since late last month, patients have begun to worsen their symptoms and request home visits.
In the sixth wave of infection, many patients complained of sore throat, but recently, there are many cases of complaining of strong malaise, vomiting, diarrhea and so on.
Kosuke Sekiya, director of the "Green Forest Daikanyama Clinic," said, "I feel that the number of infected people is increasing even at the site of home visits. I want to hurry to inoculate people who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill, such as some people. "
Movement to respond to the increase in infected people in various places
<Additional support for 50 staff members at the Shimane Prefecture work-intensive health center>
On the 5th, when the number of infected people in Shimane prefecture reached a record high of 755, the prefecture held a meeting of the countermeasures headquarters and contacted the infected people at the Izumo Health Center, where the number of infected people is increasing. It was reported that work was delayed.
The prefecture has decided to send an additional 50 clerical staff to support from the 5th, saying that the work of the Izumo Health Center is tight, and will proceed with adjustments to add another 50 in the future to strengthen the health center system. I confirmed that I would do it.
<Fukuoka Prefecture's original corona warning is activated>
In Fukuoka Prefecture, the number of newly infected people announced on the 6th exceeded 2000, and the bed usage rate exceeded 15% as of the 4th.
For this reason, Fukuoka Prefecture issued a prefecture-specific corona warning on the 6th.
The corona alert has been activated since it was lifted on the 1st of last month.
In response to this, Governor Hattori called for a press conference to thoroughly implement basic infection control measures such as avoiding three-cs and ventilation, as well as vaccination and the use of free tests.
On the other hand, Fukuoka Prefecture has a policy of not requesting shortening of business hours to restaurants at this time.
Expert "Inevitable increase in the number of infected people due to the influence of'BA.5'"
Regarding the current infection situation, Atsuo Hamada, a specially appointed professor at Tokyo Medical University who is familiar with overseas infectious diseases, said, "Preventive measures have been relaxed, and" BA.5 ", which is one of the Omicron strains and has a slightly stronger infectivity, is increasing. It may be affected by this. It is inevitable that the number of infected people will increase to some extent. "
Regarding "BA.5", Professor Hamada said, "The infectivity is a little stronger than the type of Omicron strain that has been popular until now, and some people with immunity may be affected." BA.2 " It is inevitable that the number of infected people will increase to some extent as well as replacing from the above. According to reports from each country, the severity of infection has not changed much so far, and it is about the same as the conventional Omicron strain. However, if the number of infected people increases, some people will become seriously ill, so we need to be careful. "
[Details] What is Omicron strain "BA.5"?
On top of that, regarding the future outlook, "Since a considerable number of people have received the fact that the vaccine may not be effective, the number of infected people is the same as when the infection of the Omicron strain spread in January and February. It is not likely that the number of cases will increase rapidly. It is important to continue to take measures against infection while paying attention to the bed usage rate and the bed usage rate for critically ill patients. "
"Early vaccination, if you have sore throat, see a medical institution"
Regarding specific measures, Professor Hamada said, "It is better to think that people who have received at least two vaccines are quite likely to get the vaccine, and I want them to receive the third dose as soon as possible. Elderly people should receive the third dose as soon as possible. I would like you to receive the fourth vaccination as soon as possible. Also, if you have a fever when you are infected with corona or have heat stroke, but in the case of corona, you have sore throat and coughing, so if you have such symptoms I would like you to see a medical institution for suspicion of infection. In the case of children, you may have a summer cold, and if you have a fever, you can go to a pediatric clinic or get a test kit from a pharmacy to test. I want you to think about it. "
He added, "This is the time when the season changes from autumn to winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and it is necessary to prepare for the influenza epidemic, considering that it may be epidemic in Japan from an early stage." ..
Notification requesting the local government of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to improve the medical care provision system
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has notified the local government on the night of the 5th that the number of newly infected people is on the rise nationwide, and that it will proceed with the development of a medical care provision system.
Specifically, we are requesting that we expand the number of medical institutions that can respond to patients with fever so that they can be reliably tested, and prepare to distribute test kits in advance.
In addition, we will secure beds and prepare to open temporary medical facilities in anticipation of an increase in elderly patients, and secure a system that can dispatch doctors and nurses if requested by the elderly facilities. I am asking.
Furthermore, in case the number of home care recipients increases rapidly, I would like to see a system for conducting online medical examinations and health observations in addition to home visits in cooperation with local medical institutions.
▽ In addition, as the number of patients with heat stroke is increasing, we are also calling for both the new corona and normal medical care so that emergency transportation will not be difficult.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, "There is a possibility that the Omicron strain will be replaced with" BA.5 ", which is said to be more likely to spread. The effect of the third vaccination is gradually decreasing, and summer vacation etc. It is expected that the chances of contact will increase, and I would like the local government to strengthen the system so that it can respond to the spread of infection. "