A hospital in Ibaraki Prefecture, which is treating inpatients with moderate symptoms of the new coronavirus, has all the corona beds at this time of the year end.
The hospital director says that in the so-called 8th wave, the proportion of elderly people is high, and there are cases where chronic diseases worsen or aspiration pneumonia develops and dies.
Tsukuba Central Hospital in Ushiku City, Ibaraki Prefecture originally increased the number of beds for the new corona from 11 beds to 25, but as of the 30th, all beds were occupied and most were moderately ill.
Almost all of the hospitalized patients are over the age of 65, and some are in their 90s, and the proportion of elderly people is the highest compared to the 7th wave.
Many of the elderly patients have chronic diseases, and they may also develop aspiration pneumonia, and in some cases the hospital stay is prolonged for up to a month or they die.
In addition, care is essential, and nurses and others wearing protective clothing often change their position in bed, and help them eat and excrete, which is a heavy burden.
Director Tsuyoshi Kaneko commented on the current situation where movement restrictions have been eased, saying, ``I think that young people, including those in other countries, will not die, so we should keep the economy running, but on the other hand, it is also true that elderly people are dying. It's true. The hospital members have no choice but to solemnly accept their role within the government's policy of doing their best."