Winter flu and third wave of Covid: Japan facing a "twin epidemic"
In Japan, experts have warned the government: if the flu epidemic, too, gets out of hand, hospitals risk being overwhelmed very quickly.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
In Japan, which is experiencing a third wave of the Covid-19 epidemic, the daily number of contaminations is soaring.
The authorities also find themselves having to deal with the winter flu.
Specialists call this situation a "twindemics", a "twin epidemic" in English.
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With our correspondent in Tokyo,
Bruno Duval
The Japanese government has just declared "
maximum alert
".
The third wave of the coronavirus epidemic is just beginning, but the country is already recording more daily cases of Covid-19 than this summer, when the second wave peaked.
The archipelago is also facing the winter flu virus.
A great concern of the Japanese
In the polls, eight in ten Japanese say they are worried or very worried, like the Tokyoites met in the street.
"
It's starting to get cold outside, so we open the windows less and the virus circulates more
," said one woman.
This third wave is terrible, but it was a foregone conclusion
”.
“
This winter, even if we respect social distancing and if we wear a mask, we risk ending up falling ill: by catching the flu, because of this damn double epidemic
, explains for his part a man.
It is not reassuring
”.
"
Managing two health threats at the same time is not easy
"
“
There is a shortage of flu shots across Asia,”
said another woman.
And besides, it seems that they are not very effective this year.
This is really bad
”.
“
Everyone should get a flu shot, but people are afraid of catching Covid-19 in crowded doctor's offices
,” said yet another Japanese woman.
Managing two health threats at the same time is not easy
”.
Experts have warned the government: if the flu epidemic, too, gets out of hand, hospitals risk being overwhelmed very quickly.
► (Re) listen: Japan: hospitals facing the coronavirus and a heat wave episode
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