Three years have passed since the new corona was confirmed in Japan, and the government is carefully looking for the timing to review the position of the new corona under the Infectious Diseases Law.
Currently, the new corona is positioned as "type 2 equivalent" where strict measures can be taken under the Infectious Diseases Law, and medical expenses are borne by public funds, but the government plans to implement this spring as well as "type 5", which is the same as seasonal influenza. We are proceeding with consideration, including revising to
Last week, an expert meeting of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare expressed the view that a phased review should be carried out while making the necessary preparations, such as maintaining the ability to adjust when medical care is tight.
In Japan, there are concerns that the number of infected people will continue to increase, and the number of deaths announced on the 14th exceeded 500 for the first time, and most of the deaths are elderly people.
In China, it was announced that the number of deaths had reached nearly 60,000 in just over a month from the 8th of last month. It is expected that migration will become more widespread.
For this reason, the government is carefully looking for the timing to review the position of the infectious disease law while monitoring the infection status not only in Japan but also in China.
In addition, even if it is reviewed, we are considering maintaining the public burden of medical expenses for the time being.