Due to the spread of the 8th wave of the new coronavirus, the occupancy rate of hospital beds has exceeded 80% since the end of last year in Kanagawa Prefecture, the highest in the country.
In a stressful medical environment, there are a series of cases in which patients who need hospitalization cannot be admitted immediately, or their symptoms worsen due to delays in seeing a doctor.
At "Shonan Kamakura General Hospital" in Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture, the number of emergency transports for new coronaviruses has increased rapidly since the end of the year, and since the beginning of the year, it has risen to around 100 cases a day, which is nearly double the usual number. increase.
This hospital has a policy of not refusing ambulance transport, and due to the tightness of medical institutions, the number of transports from areas that take more than an hour by ambulance is increasing. , was treated in the hallway.
At the end of last year, the hospital increased the number of beds for coronavirus patients from 45 to more than 60.
However, due to the spread of infection, the situation continues to be close to full, including beds other than corona.
On the 15th, when I interviewed, I couldn't find a hospital for a patient who accepted an ambulance at night, and the staff called a nearby hospital to find a place to accept it.
In addition, the number of patients with severe symptoms who are treated with large doses of oxygen and multiple drugs is increasing, and there are cases of death, especially among the elderly.
After symptoms such as fever appeared, there were many patients whose symptoms worsened while they were watching the situation at home. However, when he was taken to the hospital by ambulance, he had symptoms of severe pneumonia.
Yoshihisa Aida, director of the "Acute General Medical Center", which treats the new corona, says that people who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill, such as those who have not been vaccinated, the elderly, and those with underlying diseases, should immediately receive treatment as soon as they develop symptoms. After asking him to see a doctor, he commented on the situation in the medical field, saying, ``We understand that a new era has come with no restrictions on movement, but when there are many new coronavirus patients, other people Of course, I have to see a doctor for my illness, so the medical institution will be overwhelmed."