Prime Minister Suga held a press conference on the night of the 28th in response to the decision to extend the state of emergency in nine prefectures, and by the end of next month, from the municipalities that were expected to inoculate the elderly, the underlying illness He emphasized the idea of starting vaccination to the general public, including those who have.
He also reiterated his willingness to realize a safe and secure Games for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
At the beginning, Prime Minister Suga said about extending the deadline for state of emergency declarations in nine prefectures such as Tokyo and Osaka until the 20th of next month. "In Kansai, the number of infected people continues to decrease, but mainly in Osaka and Hyogo. Beds are tight and in a very difficult situation. In the metropolitan area, the number of infected people has been flat to declining, but in Tokyo it is still at the "Stage 4" level. It is also high in other declared areas. In addition, the number of seriously ill and fatalities nationwide remains high. "
He added, "The repeated extensions are very painful, but I think the next three weeks will be an extremely important period for achieving the results of the" two-front war "of infection prevention and vaccination. We sincerely ask for your cooperation. "
He said that he "has already secured a sufficient amount of vaccine" and explained that 100 million doses will be supplied by the end of next month and that more than 100 million doses will be secured by September. did.
On top of that, "By the end of next month, we will start vaccination to the general public, including those with underlying illnesses, from the municipalities that have the prospect of vaccination for the elderly based on the reservation situation. We will proceed. "
On the other hand, regarding the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, "I am aware that there are voices of anxiety and concern from many people, and I will take those voices firmly and work with the people concerned to promote efforts toward a safe and secure Games. I have. "
Chairman Omi "Three reasons behind the extension"
Shigeru Omi, chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Basic Response Policy, who attended the press conference of Prime Minister Suga, said, "I think there are three reasons why the state of emergency has been re-extended. It is becoming difficult to obtain the cooperation of people because of the declaration. The second is, of course, the influence of the mutant virus. The third, I would like to emphasize, is that some prefectures are refraining from doing business or doing business in a short time. It took some time to consider and implement priority measures such as prevention of spread. The process of issuing priority measures has become a heavy process, so I would like you to simplify it. " I did.
In addition, Chairman Omi said, "I don't think it is necessary to change the classification of the current stage depending on the vaccination rate itself, as to whether the vaccination rate is included in the conditions for canceling the state of emergency. I think that it will be easier to release. For example, if elderly people are vaccinated, it can be expected to prevent aggravation, so even if there are still a relatively large number of infected people, the number of severely ill people will decrease, and the burden on the medical system will be heavy. I think that it is possible that the release will be quicker than before if the inoculation progresses to some extent, because the burden on medical care will be given more priority for the release. "