On the 28th, the announcement of confirmation of infection with the new coronavirus reached 233,094 people nationwide, surpassing the record high of about 210,000 people on the 27th, the highest number ever.



With the number of patients with the new coronavirus increasing rapidly, what should I do if I and my family are infected now?

When infection is suspected

If you feel that you may have been infected with the new coronavirus due to fever or other symptoms, the national government or local government should first

set up a family doctor


or a medical institution close to your area.


We are calling for you to call the "Consultation / Consultation Center".



Please avoid going to a medical institution directly without contacting us.



It is necessary to wear a mask when visiting a medical institution and avoid using public transportation.

When the phone doesn't connect

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is calling on the medical institutions to contact the consultation / consultation center of the local government, which is available 24 hours a day, to introduce them to the medical institution if the telephone cannot be reached.



So far, this consultation center is not in a situation where it cannot be connected if it takes time.

Elderly people and people at high risk of aggravation

Elderly people, people with a high risk of aggravation due to underlying illness, and pregnant women should seek medical attention as soon as possible if they have any symptoms such as fever or cough.



For children, it is desirable to consult with your pediatrician as soon as possible by telephone.

For young people and people with a low risk of aggravation

As a general rule, people with a low risk of aggravation, such as the younger generation, also need to see a medical institution.



However, patients are flooding the fever outpatient departments of clinics and the emergency outpatient departments of hospitals in various places, making it difficult to receive medical examinations and tests.



For this reason, for example, in Okinawa Prefecture, where infection is spreading, if the symptoms are mild, such as young people with a low risk of aggravation, use the PCR test at the laboratory or the antigen test kit sold at the pharmacy, and visit the emergency outpatient department as much as possible. I'm calling you not to.

Also, in Kanagawa Prefecture, it is recommended that people with a low risk of aggravation do not go to the outpatient department for fever, but if they test positive by themselves, they will be treated independently.

When to call an ambulance

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is urging people to refrain from calling ambulances for examinations asymptomatically, as the number of medical institutions that respond to emergencies will be tight and general medical care may be affected.



On the other hand, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government requires that you call an ambulance immediately if you experience symptoms such as "suddenly suffocating," "trying to get rid of a reply," or "chest pain."

Utilization of antigen test kit

Currently, you can purchase an antigen test kit at a pharmacy.



If you test yourself and find a positive result, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government calls the "Fever Counseling Center" to ask you to see a medical institution.



On the other hand, in Kanagawa Prefecture, if the antigen test kit is positive, we recommend home medical treatment to young people with a low risk of aggravation, and the response is different depending on the local government.



The government distributes antigen test kits free of charge at fever outpatient clinics and pharmacies, and is working to create a system that allows health observations to be received from the window of the local government where doctors are located.

The consultation for the certificate

In addition, many patients visit a fever outpatient clinic for a certificate of infection at the request of their place of employment.



For this reason, in Kanagawa Prefecture, if the antigen test kit is positive, if you notify the prefecture on a dedicated website, you can use the "voluntary medical treatment report" to prove that you are undergoing medical treatment without going through a medical institution or health center. It is now possible to issue a "medical treatment certificate" that can be used for private insurance claims.



In addition, other local governments are also studying a mechanism that allows them to use certificates without going to medical institutions.

[On-site] The sickbed is tight at the base hospital.

As the beds of patients with the new corona are becoming tighter in various places, it is becoming difficult to coordinate hospitalization at regional base hospitals, and there are cases where patients are required to wait in the emergency department.



On-site doctors are raising a sense of crisis, saying that medical treatment may be delayed and symptoms may worsen.



While the bed usage rate is rising in various places, the usage rate in Kanagawa Prefecture has exceeded 70%, and at Shin-Yurigaoka General Hospital in Kawasaki City, the 34 beds dedicated to Corona are still full.

Even if patients are transported to the emergency center from the beginning of this week, it is difficult to adjust the beds not only in the hospital but also with other hospitals in the prefecture. The state of having them wait continues.



According to the hospital, more than 40 cases were refused on the 25th of this month, and in some cases it took nearly 24 hours for a woman in her 80s who had been transported due to dyspnea to be transferred to another hospital, and was transported on the morning of the 28th. It means that the woman in her 80s who was transferred to the hospital has not been decided and is still waiting.



At hospitals, especially elderly people may not be able to eat and may be debilitated, so they have been hospitalized as much as possible, but since the beginning of this month, the number of cases of returning home has increased, and their illness has worsened. There is concern that hospitalization will be prolonged if the patient is readmitted to the hospital due to illness or pneumonia.

Toshitaka Ito, director of the emergency center, who advises on emergency transportation in Kanagawa Prefecture, said, "There is a battle for beds because we are not actually accepting even if the beds are vacant due to the infection of medical staff. The outpatient response was not the sixth wave, "he said.



On top of that, Director Ito said, "The number of corona patients who are taken to the emergency outpatient department by calling an ambulance because young and mildly ill people do not know where to call is increasing, but the medical treatment of people at risk of serious illness is delayed. If you have a mild illness, please wait for a while and see what happens. If you suddenly feel suffocation or chest pain, call an ambulance immediately. "

Pharmacies that are busy responding, etc. Rapidly increased by about 5 times, such as delivery of medicines to be taken

In response to the rapid spread of coronavirus infection, the number of delivery of medicines to patients who are being treated at home has increased about five times in two weeks at pharmacies in Tokyo, and we are busy responding.



Since the middle of this month, pharmacies in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo have been responding to corona patients who are being treated at home, and the number of daily deliveries of the medicines "Lagebrio" and "Pakirovid Pack" has increased for the entire group. It means that it has increased about five times in the two weeks until the 22nd of this month.

When the pharmacist received the prescription from the doctor, he called the patient, gave instructions on how to take the medicine, and then packed the medicine and delivered it.



As the number of patients increases, the courier companies that deliver medicines cannot keep up, and in some cases the staff goes directly to the patients' homes to deliver the medicines on the same day.

Yoshifumi Miya, a pharmacist at Ein Pharmacy, said, "Since we deliver medicines to people who are undergoing medical treatment at home by telephone or online, it takes more time and effort than when they come to the counter, and the work is becoming tighter. When the prescription arrives, I would like to respond so that the patient can take medicine on the same day. "

Post offices that suspend window operations at 154 locations nationwide

At post offices nationwide, there are a number of cases in which employees are infected and the counter operations are suspended.



According to Japan Post, as of 27th, there are 154 post offices nationwide that have been suspended from window operations due to the effects of employees being infected or becoming close contacts.

Of these, two employees were confirmed to be infected at the "Toshima Nagasaki 1 Post Office" in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, and the counter operations have been suspended from the 25th of this month.



Some people came to the post office to ship their luggage without knowing that the window was closed, and when I checked the sticker informing them of the suspension, I was unfortunately turned back.

A woman in her 50s said, "I was thinking of buying stamps at the counter, but I think this is the only situation. I will buy them at a convenience store."



A woman in her 40s said, "I came to send registered mail, but I would like to find another post office."



According to Japan Post, there are many post offices that suspend both counter operations and ATMs, so please check the website for details.



On the other hand, there is no impact on delivery operations such as mail and Yu-Pack.

Hideo Murata, general manager of the Japan Post Public Relations Office, said, "In the past, when an infected person appeared, we continued to work by sending support from another post office, but that became a difficult situation and we had to take a break. I'm very sorry. In the future, I would like to cooperate with other post offices and operate it so that it will not be suspended as much as possible. "