COVID-19 Coronavirus: situation in Japan

Lothor said:
A record number of new cases in Tokyo today (almost 500). It seems like Japan is following the path of other temperate zone countries.
Click to expand...

Today's numbers have already proven Google's AI-based Covid-10 forecast wrong.

google-covid-forecast-japan-18nov.webp


 
Japan reports record new coronavirus cases for second day in a row

Japan on Thursday logged a record 2,385 new coronavirus cases, marking fresh highs for the second consecutive day as the number of new cases in Tokyo also topped 500 for the first time since the pandemic began. The capital confirmed 534 new cases, marking a record number of daily infections for the second straight day, and the metropolitan government raised its virus alert to the highest of four levels. The level four alert was last in place in the capital on Sept. 10. In addition to Tokyo, seven other prefectures also saw record new cases on Thursday, with Osaka and Hokkaido reporting 338 and 266 new cases, respectively. Daily coronavirus cases across the country surged to 2,203 on Wednesday, topping 2,000 for the first time.
Click to expand...

english.kyodonews.net

Japan reports record new coronavirus cases for 2nd day in row

Japan on Thursday logged a record 2,385 new coronavirus cases, marking fresh highs for the second consecutive day as the number of new cases in Tokyo also topped 500 for the first time since the pandemic began.
english.kyodonews.net english.kyodonews.net

It is unclear what "maximum alert" means, as there seem to be no plans for restrictions or lockdowns. Residents are only urged to "heighten their vigilance".


Other prefectures are seeing increasing numbers of infections, too:

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TH][/TH]

[TH]17 Nov[/TH]
[TH]18 Nov[/TH]
[TH]19 Nov[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tokyo[/TD]

[TD]
298​
[/TD]

[TD]
493​
[/TD]

[TD]
534​
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Osaka[/TD]

[TD]
269​
[/TD]

[TD]
273​
[/TD]

[TD]
338​
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hokkaido [/TD]

[TD]
197​
[/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[TD]
267​
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Aichi[/TD]

[TD]
138​
[/TD]

[TD]
141​
[/TD]

[TD]
219​
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Kanagawa[/TD]

[TD]
133​
[/TD]

[TD]
226​
[/TD]

[TD]
205​
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hyogo[/TD]

[TD]
107​
[/TD]

[TD]
103​
[/TD]

[TD]
132​
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Chiba[/TD]

[TD]
79​
[/TD]

[TD]
66​
[/TD]

[TD]
106​
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ibaraki [/TD]

[TD]
55​
[/TD]

[TD]
39​
[/TD]

[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Okinawa [/TD]

[TD]
24​
[/TD]

[TD]
41​
[/TD]

[TD]
54​
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
 
It sounds like typical government speak. Make it look/sound like you are doing something without actually doing something.
 
Lothor said:
A record number of new cases in Tokyo today (almost 500). It seems like Japan is following the path of other temperate zone countries.
www.japantimes.co.jp

Article expired

News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp
Click to expand...
I would go 10 times the amount.people have the symptoms but they realize the prejudices and the stigmatism that comes along with having the coronavirus and they've been or might be feeling they've been pushed aside in society.
 
musicisgood said:
I would go 10 times the amount.people have the symptoms but they realize the prejudices and the stigmatism that comes along with having the coronavirus and they've been or might be feeling they've been pushed aside in society.
Click to expand...
Quite possibly. Although the government - or the media, they are interchangeable here - have addressed the problem, there's a section of society that has prejudices against people with health problems, even non-infectious ones such as Fukushima radiation.
 
Government acknowledges that Go To Travel spurred on this wave of corona. I've been mad about this campaign since the day it was announced, but felt like a cranky old man. This is a little bit vindicating

news.yahoo.co.jp

コロナ急増、Gotoトラベルが「きっかけ」　日本医師会長（朝日新聞デジタル） - Yahoo!ニュース

　新型コロナウイルスの感染が急拡大していることについて、日本医師会の中川俊男会長は18日の会見で、政府の旅行支援策「Go　To　トラベル」が「きっかけになったことは間違いない」との見解を示した。
news.yahoo.co.jp news.yahoo.co.jp
 
Although I can understand the idea of the "go to campaign", to support the locals. I feel it should be more local instead of having someone from kansai to travel to Hokkaido . So for those who live in the kansai area, kansai spots can have it for them.

Wonder what is going to happen in the upcoming weeks. It is hard for all. For me being a teacher having a class at an international school under a company that doesn't give clear guidelines it's basically up to me to decide. Lots of stress, but we all have.
 
During the second wave in the summer, most clusters occurred in nighttime entertainment districts. Now, clusters have been detected in a variety of places, including medical institutions, workplaces and foreign communities.
Click to expand...

Were "foreign communities" not affected in the first two waves?

www.japantimes.co.jp

Article expired

News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp

www.japantimes.co.jp

Japan faces balancing act over virus clusters among foreign nationals

Talk of the issue underlines the delicate balance the government is trying to strike between stopping foreign communities from becoming hot spots and preventing discrimination.
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp
 
A little update on the numbers and a few articles on the Covid-19 situation in Japan:


Nationwide infections:

22/11 (Sun)23/11 (Mon)24/11 (Tue)25/11 (Wed)26/11 (Thu)27/11 (Fri)28/11 (Sat)29/11 (Sun)30/11 (Mon)
2,1681,5201,2281,9462.5042,5312,6842,0661,439


Nationwide deaths - Seriously Ill

22/11 (Sun)23/11 (Mon)24/11 (Tue)25/11 (Wed)26/11 (Thu)27/11 (Fri)28/11 (Sat)29/11 (Sun)30/11 (Mon)
7- 3238 - 33119 - 34521 -37629 - 41031 - 43514 - 44016 - 46226 - 472


Infections in selected prefectures:

22/11 (Sun)23/11 (Mon)24/11 (Tue)25/11 (Wed)26/11 (Thu)27/11 (Fri)28/11 (Sat)29/11 (Sun)30/11 (Mon)
Tokyo391314186401481570561418311
Osaka490281210318326383463381262
Hokkaido245206216181256252252192151
Aichi14495110177198234217155108
Kanagawa163706716125421921515184
Chiba80594273821071137569
Saitama11590439916010311813966
Hyogo139777710118410314511156


As indicated above, the number of seriously ill is increasing:

www.japantimes.co.jp

Article expired

News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp


Also unsettling:

mainichi.jp

Long-term COVID-19 complications unheeded in Japan as patients suffer for months - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- More and more people are complaining of symptoms including fatigue and nausea months after their infection with the coronavirus. But while re
mainichi.jp mainichi.jp


Meanwhile, Tokyo will open a new Covid-19 clinic as part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center:

www3.nhk.or.jp

Tokyo to open second COVID-19 hospital | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

Tokyo is set to open its second medical facility dedicated specifically for COVID-19 patients with mild or moderate symptoms.
www3.nhk.or.jp www3.nhk.or.jp
 
Actually, I don't think you can conclude that the number of cases is increasing from the data you've given. The number of cases has an extremely strong weekly cycle (lowest on Monday, increases during the week and highest Friday/Saturday), so the only reasonable comparison you can make is by looking at the data for the 22nd and the 29th, and for the 23rd and the 30th, which are both one week apart. If you do that, it appears that the number of cases has levelled off, increasing for some regions but decreasing for others.
 
I think the article referred to the number of the seriously ill, as well as to Covid-19-related deaths, which both seem to be increasing on a daily basis.

This was just on NHK:

www3.nhk.or.jp

Serious coronavirus cases hit record high in Japan | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

The number of seriously ill patients with COVID-19 across Japan hit 472 on Monday. That's a new record high, and the health minister says it's another sign the situation is growing more serious.
www3.nhk.or.jp www3.nhk.or.jp
 
Fair point, I didn't read your post properly!
 
It's always been stated that the antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 remained stable for more than three months, but not much longer. A Japanese study found that antibodies that neutralized the virus in 98% of people who had been sick with the disease in tests performed six months after they became infected. The survey is based on blood samples taken from 376 people who had already recovered from COVID-19.

"In general, people with neutralizing antibodies are believed to carry a low risk of reinfection," Yamanaka told a news conference. "This gives some hope" in relation to the vaccines set to be released, with the study showing that immunity obtained through natural infection can last at least six months, according to Yamanaka. He cautioned, however, that immunity acquired through natural infection is not necessarily the same as that obtained from a vaccine. The study was conducted on individuals who expressed an interest in participating, mostly from Tokyo, Kanagawa and Osaka prefectures. The average age of the participants, with equal numbers of men and women, stood at 49. Of the participants, 71% had mild symptoms, 19% moderate symptoms and 6% severe symptoms, while 4% showed no symptoms. The neutralizing antibodies were detected in 97% of the participants who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms and 100% of those who experienced moderate or severe symptoms. Antibodies tended to be stronger in those whose symptoms had been more severe.
Click to expand...

www.japantimes.co.jp

Article expired

News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp
 
The weekly update on the numbers with the same trend prevailing as last week: slightly decreasing numbers of infections but a slight surge in the numbers of COVID-19-related deaths and seriously ill.

Nationwide infections:

01/12 (Tue)02/12 (Wed)03/12 (Thu)04/12 (Fri)05/12 (Sat)06/12 (Sun)07/12 (Mon)
2,0302,4342,5182,4422.5082,0251,522


Nationwide deaths - Seriously Ill

01/12 (Tue)02/12 (Wed)03/12 (Thu)04/12 (Fri)05/12 (Sat)06/12 (Sun)07/12 (Mon)
41- 49332 -48836 - 49745 -50522 - 52031 - 51939 - 530


Infections in selected prefectures:

01/12 (Tue)02/12 (Wed)03/12 (Thu)04/12 (Fri)05/12 (Sat)06/12 (Sun)07/12 (Mon)
Tokyo372500533449584327299
Osaka490427386394399310228
Hokkaido206176206212183187124
Aichi197219195215219170111
Kanagawa15821419718819213465
Chiba74598275747853
Saitama10415015116316816291
Hyogo123123172129151120107

In other news:

160 people working at the Toyosu Fish Market were found to be infected, but according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government hasn't declared it a cluster, as "the route of infections could not be traced".

www3.nhk.or.jp

豊洲市場 コロナ 160人感染確認 東京都「クラスターではない」 | NHKニュース

【NHK】東京 江東区の豊洲市場で水産仲卸業者を中心に新型コロナウイルスの感染の確認が160人になりました。東京都は「感染経路が追…
www3.nhk.or.jp www3.nhk.or.jp

The Japan Self-Defence Forces send nurses to support Asahikawa's medical care structure from collapse following the third wave of the novel coronavirus.

 
Yesterday saw the second consecutive day of record-breaking numbers in infections, with 602 in Tokyo and 2,834 nation-wide in what is now called "the third wave".


Meanwhile, the government steps up its efforts to organise the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, which will be based on a reservation system. Inoculations will start at the beginning of March.

Japan has agreed with Pfizer, Moderna, and Britain's AstraZeneca PLC to receive sufficient numbers of vaccine doses to cover the entire population and more, earmarking ¥671.4 billion for that purpose.vThe Pfizer vaccine is projected to be delivered in batches of 1,000 doses. The shot needs to be administered within approximately 10 days when stored in cooler boxes with dry ice.vLocal governments will discuss whether they should designate a vaccination date and time for residents of each area to avoid overcrowding at venues.vThe ministry is also planning to develop a system that will enable it to share information about stocks of vaccine doses at medical institutions with local governments and distributors, so as to help them avoid allocation problems as much as possible.
Click to expand...

www.japantimes.co.jp

Article expired

News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp


Businesses are adapting to the pandemic and limit the New year sales; many supermarkets will close over the holidays (1-3 Jan):

This New Year's sales season is going to look a lot different from normal under the COVID-19 pandemic, with many supermarkets closing and far fewer lucky bags lining department store shelves. Summit Inc., which operates food supermarkets in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area, will close 113 stores--almost all its outlets--between Jan. 1 and Jan. 3. It is the first time in 33 years it will close its stores during the period. The company is calling on customers to buy necessary items in advance, so its outlets do not become overcrowded at year-end. Yaoko Co., which operates about 170 supermarket stores in the Kanto region, will shut down most of its outlets during the first three days of the new year.
Click to expand...

 
They have made a big deal about some of the vaccines needing to be stored in "super" cold temps. I have to wonder when they are giving the shots and the bottle sets out in room temps for a while , any effects on it?? When I used to help do yearly flu shots , the bottles were out a few hours before they were used up.
 
thomas said:
Yesterday saw the second consecutive day of record-breaking numbers in infections, with 602 in Tokyo and 2,834 nation-wide in what is now called "the third wave".


Meanwhile, the government steps up its efforts to organise the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, which will be based on a reservation system. Inoculations will start at the beginning of March.



www.japantimes.co.jp

Article expired

News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp


Businesses are adapting to the pandemic and limit the New year sales; many supermarkets will close over the holidays (1-3 Jan):



Click to expand...
Which vaccine are they thinking they will use? Or is it not decided yet?
 
mdchachi said:
Which vaccine are they thinking they will use? Or is it not decided yet?
Click to expand...

According to the news, they will use the vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca PLC earmarking some 671.4 bn JPY to cover the entire population (290 million doses).

Uncle Frank said:
They have made a big deal about some of the vaccines needing to be stored in "super" cold temps. I have to wonder when they are giving the shots and the bottle sets out in room temps for a while , any effects on it?? When I used to help do yearly flu shots , the bottles were out a few hours before they were used up.
Click to expand...

Japan will import 10.500 ultra-low temperature refrigerators. Pfizer's vaccines need to be kept at around minus 75 Celsius (minus 103 Fahrenheit, and Moderna's at about minus 20C).

Source: Japan to buy 10,500 freezers for coronavirus vaccines: The Asahi Shimbun
 
Uncle Frank said:
They have made a big deal about some of the vaccines needing to be stored in "super" cold temps. I have to wonder when they are giving the shots and the bottle sets out in room temps for a while , any effects on it?? When I used to help do yearly flu shots , the bottles were out a few hours before they were used up.
Click to expand...

They would have to warm up before being injected anyway. You can't inject something that cold into someone without it causing issues, like damage to the skin or cells around the injection point.

I would suspect that the low temp is meant to keep the vaccine in a type of cryogenic stasis or slowed metabolic state to ensure that it survives for a certain amount of time while it is distributed and waiting for use. You would want it to warm up and start working again by the time you actually administer the dose. This is all just guess work on my part though as I do not work in the field of vaccine creation.

EDIT: So I tried finding out specific info about how vaccines should go from the cold-chain storage to administration and I couldn't find much other than remarks that it should not be left out all day and that if it is in a cooler or other transportable storage for an off-site clinic or workplace vaccination event that temperatures should be checked throughout the day to ensure they stay cold. There is nothing specific I could find about warming them up, however some vaccines do need to be reconstituted by adding other things to them prior to administration to the recipient. Also, the cold-chain is to keep the vaccine alive as they are apparently very fragile to heat and light.
 
Last edited:
The weekly update on the numbers:


Nationwide infections:

08/12 (Tue)09/12 (Wed)10/12 (Thu)11/12 (Fri)12/12 (Sat)13/12 (Sun)14/12 (Mon)15/12 (Tue)
2,1742,8112,9722,7463.0412,3881,6812,431

Nationwide deaths - Seriously Ill:

08/12 (Tue)09/12 (Wed)10/12 (Thu)11/12 (Fri)12/12 (Sat)13/12 (Sun)14/12 (Mon)15/12 (Tue)
47 - 53642 - 55526 - 54341 - 55428 - 57819 - 58347 - 58853 - 592

Infections in selected prefectures:

08/12 (Tue)09/12 (Wed)10/12 (Thu)11/12 (Fri)12/12 (Sat)13/12 (Sun)14/12 (Mon)15/12 (Tue)
Tokyo352572602595621480305450
Osaka258427412357429308185306
Hokkaido204197241177189164125104
Aichi199245242196206181114216
Kanagawa152245214285223231121226
Chiba809315111712111180119
Saitama172145188185199144102173
Hyogo1451581499813711465144



In other news:

The city of Osaka opened a new COVID-19 hospital mainly staffed by JSDF personnel:



The Hokkaido Medical Association has declared a "state of medical emergency" for the prefecture:

The Hokkaido Medical Association and other organizations jointly declared their own "state of medical emergency" for Japan's northernmost prefecture, saying that the health care system is already falling apart in some areas of the region due to a surge in coronavirus cases. At a hastily arranged press conference in Sapporo's Chuo Ward on Dec. 14, Kiyoshi Nagase, chairman of the Hokkaido Medical Association, slammed the central government for its delayed decision to temporarily halt the "Go To Travel" domestic tourism subsidy program nationwide amid spiking infection numbers across the country. "It's too late. While the economy is also important, people's lives and health are most essential," Nagase told the press conference.
Click to expand...

mainichi.jp

Medical groups issue 'state of emergency' for Hokkaido as virus cases surge - The Mainichi

SAPPORO -- The Hokkaido Medical Association and other organizations jointly declared their own
mainichi.jp mainichi.jp


'Mitsu' has been declared the kanji of the year summing up pandemic in Japan 2020:



The character garnered 28,401 votes, or 13.65%, out of the 208,025 cast in a poll, the foundation said. "Mitsu," on its own, means "close" or "dense." This word has often been used as a way to raise public awareness about social distancing, with experts and government officials calling on the public to avoid the crowded settings. The phrase "san mitsu" or the "3Cs" — confined spaces, crowds and close-contact settings — was also selected as Japan's top buzzword for the year earlier this month. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike is credited with raising the profile of the slogan, with her call to the public about the measures so insistent that it even inspired the creation of a viral online game. "Many people had to always keep in mind 'mitsu' in carrying on with our everyday lives," the foundation said in explaining the result of the poll.
Click to expand...

www.japantimes.co.jp

'Mitsu': Kanji of the year sums up pandemic in Japan 2020

The character, which on its own means 'close' or 'dense,' garnered 28,401 votes — 13.65% of the 208,025 cast in a nationwide poll.
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp
 
Will we see more than a thousand daily infections before Christmas? After a record 678 yesterday, today saw a huge surge of reported cases in Tokyo:

A record 3,059 new cases of the novel coronavirus across Japan were confirmed as of 5:50 p.m. on Dec. 17, as Tokyo logged an alarming jump to 822 new infections, the highest ever. The nationwide figure exceeded the 3,039 posted on Dec. 12. The figure for Dec. 12 was revised after the initial report. The capital's figure for Dec. 17 soared past the previous record of 678 COVID-19 cases logged the previous day. Of the 822 new patients, those aged 65 or older accounted for 112, also a record number. Sixty-six patients were classified as having severe symptoms that require the use of a ventilator or an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) device, which circulates blood through an artificial lung. The figure dropped by three from the previous day. Kanagawa Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture both reported daily records with 319 and 54 cases, respectively.
Click to expand...

Source: Tokyo leads with 822 COVID-19 cases as Japan logs record 3,059 : The Asahi Shimbun
 
Shrines are preparing for the New Year rush, but I hope people will be smart enough and forgo their oshogatsu rituals this year!

After the coronavirus outbreak began, many Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples removed their hishaku ladles for washing their hands and suzunoo ropes for ringing bells, as infected visitors might spread the virus to others through contact with the items. Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto replaced its suzunoo in June with a speaker that plays the sound of bells when visitors pass their hands over a sensor. The shrine is considering removing the speaker over the New Year's period, as the novelty of the tool may attract visitors and raise infection risks. Ikuta Shrine in Kobe has introduced a system of minimizing contact for omikuji fortunes. Instead of drawing numbered sticks from a box, visitors can scan a QR code with their smartphones to draw a number virtually, which they can show shrine workers to receive paper fortunes.
Click to expand...

www.japantimes.co.jp

Article expired

News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp
 
People need their rituals. It might be better to hope that people will be smart enough to do their oshogatsu rituals safely rather than forgo them.
 

Similar threads

Mark of Zorro
COVID-19 Coronavirus: general discussion
13 14 15
Replies
371
Views
41K
okinawaholic
O
musicisgood
COVID-19 Coronavirus: practicalities
2 3
Replies
62
Views
9K
musicisgood
musicisgood
Lothor
COVID-19 Japanese government payout
2
Replies
34
Views
8K
Davey
Davey
thomas
COVID-19 Japan's Covid-19 border policy
2 3
Replies
54
Views
9K
salyavin
salyavin
C
Japan's Conspiracy (1)
9 10 11
Replies
257
Views
98K
Weegoabrame
W
Back
Top Bottom