Regarding the treatment of the new coronavirus under the Infectious Diseases Act, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced a policy of intensifying discussions toward a review at an expert meeting on the night of the 30th, and told experts that pathogenicity, infectivity, and the possibility of virus mutation. I asked them to verify their gender.
According to the Infectious Diseases Act, infectious diseases are classified into "type 1" to "type 5" according to the risk of aggravation and infectivity, and the contents of measures that can be taken by the national and local governments are stipulated. It is positioned as "equivalent to", and strict measures are taken to prevent the spread of infection.
Under these circumstances, a provision was added to the supplementary provisions of the bill to revise the Infectious Diseases Act, which is being deliberated in the Diet, to promptly consider the position of the novel coronavirus under the Infectious Diseases Act.
In response to this, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced at an expert meeting held on the night of the 30th that it would seriously discuss a review, including a reduction to the "5" category, which is the same as seasonal influenza. and infectivity, and the possibility of virus mutation.
Regarding this, at the meeting, opinions such as "It is necessary for the public to understand the characteristics of the current corona" and "It is necessary to hear a wide range of opinions from experts who are not participating in the meeting" were expressed. is.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has not decided on a specific timing for the compilation, but after assessing the infection status of the 8th wave while listening to the opinions of experts, it wants to present a policy that is easy for the public to understand.