The average number of patients per medical institution in the week ending June 6 was 25.1, which is 1.6 times higher than the previous week. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "We would like to continue to pay close attention to the gradual increase trend nationwide and the level exceeding the peak of the eighth wave in Okinawa Prefecture."
Experts also point out that "there could be a ninth wave."
We have summarized the latest epidemic situation and the current situation in the medical field.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of new coronavirus patients reported by about 25,1 medical institutions nationwide in the week ending March 5000 increased by 2641,3 from the previous week to 255,1.
In addition, the average number of patients per medical institution was 6.13, which was 1.09 times higher than the previous week (*previous week: 5.6).
This is the 12th consecutive week of continuous growth from the previous week.
By prefecture, in descending order ▽
Okinawa Prefecture has 39.48 people ▽ Kagoshima Prefecture has 11.71 people ▽ Kumamoto Prefecture has 8.75 people ▽ Aichi Prefecture has 8.03 people ▽ Chiba Prefecture has 7.77 people
, etc. 39 prefectures increased from the previous week.
In addition, 25,1 new hospitalizations were recorded nationwide in the week ending March 4567, an increase of 29 compared to the previous week.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has stated that the epidemic situation nationwide "continues to be on a gradual upward trend nationwide, and although it is not possible to simply compare before and after the transition to Class 5, the level in Okinawa Prefecture exceeds the peak of the eighth wave in January.
Corona is rapidly spreading in Okinawa, another infectious disease is also epidemic, and children's specialized hospitals are under pressure
Okinawa has the highest average number of patients per medical institution in Japan.
In June, the new coronavirus infection is spreading rapidly among people under 1 years old and teenagers, and RS virus infections that cause cold-like symptoms and human metapneumovirus infections are also prevalent.
For this reason, hospitals specializing in children's children are busy dealing with the situation, and among them, the "Prefectural Nanbu Medical Center / Children's Medical Center" in Minami-Kazehara-cho in the southern part of the main island of Okinawa has 6 intensive care units = PICUs for children, but as of June 10, they are full.
According to Dr. Zhang Qingzheng of the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, who works at the hospital, nearly 10 patients used the emergency room on June 8, of which about 6% were children, many of whom complained of fever symptoms, and about 29 were hospitalized.
Dr. Zhang pointed out, "It is rare for children to have a major epidemic depending on the time of year and to spread at the same time, and in the past month or so, RS virus infection has been spreading along with the new coronavirus.
On top of that, Dr. Zhang revealed that there have been cases of infection with the new corona and RS virus infection at the same time, and said, "The new corona shows no signs of abating, and the momentum of RS virus infection has not subsided, and the infection situation has not yet come to a close."
Okinawan doctor: "Concentration of patients in large-scale emergency hospitals due to transition to Class 5"
Yoshihiro Takayama, a physician at Okinawa Prefectural Chubu Hospital who also participates in the expert meeting of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, commented on the infection situation in Okinawa Prefecture, saying, "It has spread to all age groups and there is no sign of a decline. He explains.
Regarding the current state of medical care, he said, "The medical care system for patients with mild illness has been expanded with the transition to Class 5, but the lack of the hospitalization adjustment function by the government has strengthened the tendency for patients to concentrate in large emergency hospitals, and some medical institutions are under pressure. Since it is difficult to find a place to transfer, it has become difficult to accept new acute patients."
"The decrease in the number of hospital beds that can be used for nosocomial infections and the increasing number of cases of severe illness among children due to infectious diseases other than corona are also major issues. I think it is necessary to discuss how to coordinate individual hospitalizations, such as the elderly and critically ill children."
Tokyo clinic "Some patients do not want to be tested for corona"
At the clinic in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, there were few people who were tested for the new corona and confirmed to be infected during the long holidays, but since then, it has gradually increased, and this week about 1 people a day are tested, of which about 20 to 6 are confirmed positive.
However, after the transition of the new corona to Class 7, the cost of testing is borne by the patient, and some patients do not want to be tested, so there is a concern that more patients are actually infected.
Toshio Miyata, president of Mii Clinic Yoyogi, said, "I have the impression that there are many cases where patients who are not infected with corona around them are positive when tested, and there are concerns that the infection is spreading in various places such as schools and workplaces."
In addition, as the number of confirmed cases of other infectious diseases such as herpangina and hand, foot, and mouth disease is increasing, it is difficult to obtain medicines and antipyretic drugs to calm sore throats, and we are concerned about the impact of the further spread of the new corona infection.
President Miyata said, "There are situations where patients go to pharmacies with prescriptions, and in order to prevent the spread of infection to others, I would like them to first undergo thorough testing."
Tokyo Governor Koike: "Securing a system to respond even if the number of infected people surges"
Governor Koike of Tokyo said that even if the number of people infected with the new coronavirus increases rapidly in Tokyo, he said that he has secured a system to respond flexibly and called for basic infection prevention measures to be taken.
Shigeru Omi, chairman of the government subcommittee on new coronavirus countermeasures, said on June 6, "The number of infected people is on a slight upward trend nationwide, and there is a possibility that the ninth wave has begun."
At his regular press conference on June 26, Governor Koike expressed his recognition that the number of infected people in Tokyo was almost flat compared to the previous week, so it was not a significant burden on the healthcare delivery system.
"The lesson of the coronavirus is that when it suddenly increases, it increases all at once, and even if such a situation occurs, we have a system in place to respond flexibly," he said, calling for basic infection prevention measures such as hand washing.
Government Subcommittee Professor Tateda "Possibility of a Ninth Wave"
Professor Kazuhiro Tateda of Toho University, a member of the government subcommittee on measures against the new coronavirus, commented on the current infection situation, "The nationwide increase trend is still moderate, but in Okinawa Prefecture, infections are spreading at a level higher than the eighth wave this winter. It is not clear whether the number of infected people has increased so much in Okinawa, but there has been a tendency for infections to spread earlier than in the whole country. It is possible that the loss of immunity acquired due to infection, or the overlapping environment of hot and difficult to wear a mask, led to an increase."
"It has been reported that the number of corona beds in Okinawa Prefecture is almost full, but we have not yet heard of a situation where hospital beds are tight in Tokyo and throughout the country. However, infectious diseases among children such as the RS virus and herpangina are spreading nationwide, and the number of children admitted to pediatric wards, including the university hospital to which I belong, is increasing, and if this overlaps with the spread of coronavirus, it is possible that hospital beds will be tight. As the number of coronavirus cases has become Class 8 and fewer medical institutions are securing dedicated beds, it is important for local governments, public health centers, and other governments to promote efforts to support hospitalization coordination in preparation for the risk of the infection level reaching the worst level."
In addition, as a preparation for the spread of infection, he said, "It is expected that vaccines corresponding to the XBB strain, which is currently the mainstream, will be available after this fall, but conventional vaccines can be expected to be sufficiently effective, so the elderly and people with underlying diseases who have been vaccinated for four months to six months since they were last vaccinated should consider additional vaccinations as soon as possible. In addition, it is important for people with a low risk of severe illness to suspect that they are infected with the coronavirus if they think they have caught a cold, and to take cautious actions, such as refraining from going out and eating together."
Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno: "We will take necessary measures with a proactive approach"
At an afternoon press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno stated, "There is a possibility that a certain spread of infections will occur during the summer, and we will continue to take necessary measures in a proactive manner while keeping an eye on future infection trends.
Regarding the situation in Okinawa Prefecture, he stated, "In addition to calling on the citizens of Okinawa Prefecture to take basic infection control measures, Okinawa Prefecture is promoting initiatives to secure a medical care provision system, and will continue to respond appropriately in close cooperation with the prefecture."
Average number of patients per medical institution (by prefecture)
▼Okinawa 39.48 ▼
Kagoshima 11.71 ▼Kumamoto 8.75 ▼Aichi 8.03 ▼
Chiba 7.77 ▼Gifu 7.45 ▼
Miyazaki 7.22
▼Saitama 7.18
▼Saga Prefecture 7.0 people ▼ Yamanashi Prefecture 6.61 people ▼ Ibaraki Prefecture 6.48 people ▼ Mie Prefecture 6.32 people ▼ Tokyo 6.22 people ▼ Kanagawa Prefecture 6.07 people
▼ Ishikawa Prefecture 5.85 people
▼Shizuoka 5.81 ▼
Fukuoka 5.76 ▼Iwate 5.59 ▼Nara 5.58
▼Nagasaki 5.29
▼Hokkaido 5.23
▼Wakayama 5.18
▼Osaka Prefecture 5.16 people ▼ Fukushima Prefecture 5.1 people ▼ Kochi Prefecture 5.09 people ▼ Kyoto Prefecture 4.92 people ▼ Hyogo Prefecture 4.82 people ▼ Tottori Prefecture 4.76 people
▼ Nagano Prefecture
4.75 people▼Hiroshima Prefecture 4.71 people ▼ Miyagi Prefecture 4.67 people ▼ Tokushima Prefecture 4.57 people ▼ Yamaguchi Prefecture 4.55 people ▼ Kagawa Prefecture 4.47 people ▼ Shiga Prefecture 4.3 people
▼ Aomori Prefecture 4.22 people
▼Oita Prefecture 4.14 people ▼ Niigata Prefecture 4.14 people ▼ Ehime Prefecture 4.13 people ▼ Toyama Prefecture 4.02 people ▼ Tochigi Prefecture 3.96 people ▼ Gunma Prefecture 3.85 people
▼ Yamagata Prefecture 3.72 people
▼Fukui Prefecture 3.72 people ▼ Okayama Prefecture 3.68 people ▼ Shimane Prefecture 3.42 people
▼ Akita Prefecture 3.1 people