Regarding the aftereffects of the new coronavirus, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has decided to strengthen its response after the transition to Class 5, such as adding medical fees paid to medical institutions to encourage more medical institutions to accept patients.

The aim is to establish a system for medical treatment at local medical institutions such as family doctors.

On the other hand, medical institutions that accept patients point out that it is important to understand and support the families and those around them who are suffering from sequelae.

"Aftereffects" Without being understood by those around ...

Dr. Kenji Baba of Aichi Medical University Medical Center has been treating patients complaining of sequelae for the past two years.

When Dr. Baba analyzed the symptoms of 2,1009 people he had dealt with so far, the most common symptoms were "fatigue and sluggishness," which more than half of the patients infected with the Omicron variant complained.

Many people diagnosed with sequelae are in their 20s to 50s, and most of them had "mild" symptoms at the beginning of infection with corona.

On the other hand, in the case of patients with the Omicron variant, the time from the onset of sequelae to recovery was "more than 5 months", and some suffered for more than 1 year.

It means that there are many cases where daily life is affected, such as getting sick from vehicles and suffering from memory disorders such as forgetfulness.

Dr. Baba also points out that "the major difference between the new coronavirus and seasonal influenza is that there are sequelae," but while different people have various symptoms, the reality is not widely known, and many patients suffer without being understood by those around them.

Dr. Baba points out the importance of understanding and support from families, workplaces, and schools, saying, "There are not a few people who feel not only the pain of their symptoms, but also the impatience and impatience of not being able to have a social life.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to strengthen response to "aftereffects"

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) is requesting prefectural governments to establish a system for treating patients at local medical institutions such as family doctors for "sequelae" that continue to cause symptoms such as fatigue and difficulty concentrating after infection with the new coronavirus.

After the transition to Class 5, infection control measures will be left to the discretion of the individual, but since the nature of the virus has not changed and the epidemic is expected to continue in the future, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare plans to strengthen its response to the aftereffects.

Specifically, a list of medical institutions that treat sequelae nationwide will be compiled and made available on the website of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare by the end of this week, and medical fees paid to medical institutions that treat patients with sequelae will be added from May 5.

In addition, since the causes and treatment methods of the aftereffects of the new coronavirus are often unknown, we plan to provide information to medical institutions as needed so that the latest research results in Japan and overseas can be reflected in medical treatment.

Issues after the transition to Class 5: Compatibility with general medical care

On the other hand, as the epidemic of the new coronavirus is expected to repeat in the future, it will be an issue for hospitals that accept patients to balance it with general medical care.

This is because after the transition to Class 5, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is aiming for a system that accepts inpatients at all hospitals while phasing out "corona beds" that accept corona patients.

Saiseikai Yokohama Tobu Hospital in Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama City, has secured up to 50 corona beds, and has also accepted seriously ill and moderately ill patients in dedicated wards.

However, due to the effects of doctors and nurses concentrating in dedicated wards and refusing to admit non-corona patients in other wards, and because of the fact that the severity of the Omicron variant decreased, there were many cases of elderly patients in hospitalization dying due to worsening of underlying diseases, etc., so we abolished the dedicated wards in March last year.

After that, in order to be compatible with general medical care, each ward, such as nephrology and cardiovascular medicine, has established a hospital room that can accept corona patients, and each specialist provides medical care.

As a result, it is said that the number of cases of refusing hospitalization of patients other than corona has decreased.

Furthermore, in order to prevent the physical strength of the elderly hospitalized due to corona from declining, medical therapists wearing medical masks and protective suits are performing rehabilitation, and many elderly people have recovered from a severe and bedridden state to the point where they can carry out their daily lives and have been discharged.

Morijun Miyagi, Director of the Medical Collaboration Center, said, "In the Omicron variant, there have been notable cases of patients with chronic diseases and elderly patients who worsen their chronic diseases due to infection, and it is important to always maintain a medical care system that can respond to both patients with the new coronavirus and non-corona patients."

Koichi Yoshida, Deputy Director of the Rehabilitation Center, said, "I believe that if infection control measures are taken appropriately, it is possible to reduce the risk of coronavirus and maintain and improve the physical strength of the elderly at any medical institution, whether in acute care hospitals or at home.

Typical symptoms of the aftereffects of the new corona

It is a typical symptom of the sequelae of the new corona shown in the medical treatment guide for medical institutions compiled by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Fatigue/malaise, joint pain, muscle pain, cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, hair loss, memory impairment, difficulty concentrating, headache, depression, olfactory disturbance, taste disturbance, diarrhea, abdominal pain, sleep disturbance, muscle weakness.

The cause of sequelae is often unknown, and investigations and research are continuing in Japan and overseas.