In the 7th wave of the new coronavirus, while the number of infected people continues to decline, the number of deaths continues to exceed 200 people every day.
On the other hand, from the medical front, unlike the 5th wave, where there were many cases where pneumonia caused by the corona worsened and became severe, many elderly patients died due to deterioration of underlying diseases and general conditions, and the number of patients who died It has been pointed out that the trend of the patient's condition is changing, and an infectious disease specialist said, ``In addition to responding to corona treatment, it is necessary to respond to comprehensive medical care, such as meticulously assessing the condition of the patient. ”.
At the "Tokyo Kita Medical Center" in Kita-ku, Tokyo, which has accepted patients with new corona mainly for moderate illness, most of the current inpatients are mild and moderate.
According to the hospital, 19 patients have died since entering this year, and no one died of pneumonia caused by Corona.
Of the 19 people, 4 died in the 7th wave after July. Among them, a man in his 80s who had an underlying disease recovered from the symptoms of the corona after being hospitalized, but later developed sepsis. died after his condition deteriorated.
Until the 5th wave, most cases of pneumonia became severe and died, but in the 7th wave, the majority of elderly patients died due to worsening of chronic diseases triggered by infection and general weakness. That's it.
Kunihisa Miyazaki, a doctor at the Tokyo North Medical Center, said, "Until last year, a certain percentage of patients with moderate symptoms became severe, but now most of them have mild or moderate symptoms. However, the number of infections has increased too much. And no matter how mild the disease is, the number of people who will die will definitely increase, so it is important to promote vaccination as a whole."
Expert: “In the future, comprehensive medical care including nursing care and rehabilitation will be necessary”
On the other hand, even at medical institutions that have been providing life-saving treatment for critically ill patients, this trend has changed remarkably.
At the "Saitama Medical University General Medical Center" in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, the number of patients requiring ventilators was 8 at the maximum during the 5th wave, but during the 6th and 7th waves, even when the maximum number was It means that each person has decreased significantly.
In addition, in the fifth wave, there were many cases in which patients in their 40s and 50s with severe pneumonia were treated with ventilators and the antiviral drug Remdesivir. is the center, and most of them are mild or moderate.
On the other hand, even if the severity of the new corona is ``mild'' or ``moderate,'' these elderly patients are often infected with other infectious diseases due to the deterioration of underlying diseases and weakening of physical strength.
Hideaki Oka, a professor at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Saitama Medical University General Medical Center, said, "Until the fifth wave, there were cases in which people could be saved depending on the treatment, but now, no matter how much we try, many people die as if their life expectancy is over." I'm talking to
In addition, Professor Oka commented on issues based on these changes in trends, saying, ``Since the high fever caused by the corona virus puts a lot of stress on the body of the elderly, and there are cases where underlying diseases worsen, it is important to carefully assess the condition of the patient. Until now, it would have been sufficient to mainly deal with the treatment of coronavirus, but from now on, it will be necessary to deal with comprehensive medical care, including nursing care and rehabilitation, rather than medical care that is subdivided into vertically divided specialized fields. ” points out.