COVID-19 Coronavirus: situation in Japan

[Lothor]

Yesterday, it was reported that another strain of the coronavirus had been detected in four individuals that arrived in Haneda from Brazil. That strain is different from the British and South African variant. However, it is not clear yet whether it is more infectious.

Article expired

News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More

www.japantimes.co.jp

Meanwhile, the Japanese government has decided to extend the SoE to Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Aichi, and Gifu prefectures. PM Suga will make a declaration tomorrow.

Article expired

News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More

www.japantimes.co.jp

I'm a bit mystified by the emphasis being placed on this story in the news. From what I understand, Covid-19 has been mutating ever since it was first discovered, as viruses do, and it's only recently become newsworthy because of the increased infectiousness of the new strains that originated in the UK and South Africa. There is no evidence so far that this new strain is more infectious than other strains (Scientists detect new strain of coronavirus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), so this reads a little like "New foreign strain invades Japan!" As we do.

 

[thomas]

As long as vaccines are not widely available, the coronavirus and each of its new mutations will remain newsworthy. I hope that in the future its scare level will be down to that of the influenza virus (which is still quite deadly despite vaccination).

 

[thomas]

The weekly update: numbers are down, due to reduced testing at the weekend, Kanagawa has almost as many infections as Tokyo.

Nationwide infections:

06/01 (Wed)	07/01 (Thu)	08/01 (Fri)	09/01 (Sat)	10/01 (Son)	11/01 (Mon)	12/01 (Tue)
6,001​	7,533​	7,882​	7,790​	6.094​	4,876​	4,535​

Nationwide deaths - Seriously Ill:

06/01 (Wed)	07/01 (Thu)	08/01 (Fri)	09/01 (Sat)	10/01 (Son)	11/01 (Mon)	12/01 (Tue)
65 - 784​	65 - 796​	66 - 826​	75 - 827​	64 - 852​	64 - 864​	64 - 881​

Infections in selected prefectures:

	06/01 (Wed)	07/01 (Thu)	08/01 (Fri)	09/01 (Sat)	10/01 (Son)	11/01 (Mon)	12/01 (Tue)
Tokyo​	1.591​	2.447​	2.392​	2.268​	1.494​	1.219​	970​
Osaka​	560​	607​	654​	647​	532​	480​	374​
Hokkaido​	115​	161​	181​	215​	188​	135​	145​
Aichi​	364​	461​	405​	362​	343​	198​	13​
Kanagawa​	591​	679​	838​	999​	729​	695​	906​
Chiba​	311​	450​	455​	477​	388​	340​	415​
Saitama​	394​	460​	496​	518​	414​	347​	261​
Hyogo​	248​	284​	297​	324​	269​	154​	161​
Okinawa​	72​	66​	82​	70​	74​	41​	?​

 

[thomas]

Today, the government extended the SoE to seven prefectures: Osaka, Kyoto , Hyogo, Aichi, Gifu, Tochigi and Fukuoka, including 11 prefectures in total.

State of emergency expanded to seven more prefectures

Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Aichi, Gifu, Tochigi and Fukuoka have all been added, making the order effective in 11 of Japan’s 47 prefectures.

www.japantimes.co.jp

Tokyo reported 1.433 new cases based on 2,684 tests conducted on 10 January.

https://www.fukushihoken.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/index.files/030113sokuhou.pdf

Does this really translate into a positivity rate of over 50% ???

 

[Grandpa Frank]

It makes you wonder if masks are any good at all for protection. I sometimes picture the lab people being so over whelmed , they just say "call them all positive for this week." As a former nurse , I always found gloves , handwashing & not touching your face at all were pretty good protection options.

 

[thomas]

Well, at least masks are not ineffective.

Can face masks protect against COVID-19?

Face masks can help slow the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Learn about mask types, which masks to use and how to use them.

www.mayoclinic.org

Meanwhile, the Japanese goverment announced that foreign residents who disregard the 14-day quarantine will be deported!

For Japanese and resident foreigners who are allowed to enter, Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister in charge of the country's coronavirus response, said it will require them to sign a pledge upon arrival to stay in quarantine for 14 days, and violating it would result in penalties, such as disclosing the names of violators.

In addition, foreign residents who breach the 14-day quarantine rule will have their resident status revoked and be subject to deportation, Nishimura said at a separate press conference.

He said the new measures will be taken from Thursday because of a recent case where a man who returned from Britain dined with multiple people during his 14-day self-isolation period and caused the spread of a new strain of the virus.

Japan to halt entry of all nonresident foreign nationals

Japan will suspend the entry of all nonresident foreign nationals into the country as part of its efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday.

english.kyodonews.net

They forgot to mention that the returnee from the UK spreading the new strain was a Japanese national.

 

[Lothor]

They forgot to mention that the returnee from the UK spreading the new strain was a Japanese national.

DEPORT HIM ANYWAY!

 

[thomas]

As always, the weekly updates:

Nationwide infections:

13/01 (Wed)	14/01 (Thu)	15/01 (Fri)	16/01 (Sat)	17/01 (Son)	18/01 (Mon)	19/01 (Tue)
5,871​	6,605​	7,133​	7,014​	5.759​	4,925​	5,295​

Nationwide deaths - Seriously Ill:

13/01 (Wed)	14/01 (Thu)	15/01 (Fri)	16/01 (Sat)	17/01 (Son)	18/01 (Mon)	19/01 (Tue)
51 - 900​	88 - 920​	82 - 934​	65 - 965​	66 - 972​	55 - 973​	103 - 1,001​

Infections in selected prefectures:

	13/01 (Wed)	14/01 (Thu)	15/01 (Fri)	16/01 (Sat)	17/01 (Son)	18/01 (Mon)	19/01 (Tue)
Tokyo​	1.433​	1.502​	2.001​	1.809​	1.592​	1.204​	1.240​
Osaka​	536​	592​	568​	629​	464​	431​	525​
Hokkaido​	109​	194​	202​	192​	124​	125​	92​
Aichi​	319​	312​	352​	323​	218​	151​	247​
Kanagawa​	767​	985​	872​	830​	795​	957​	737​
Chiba​	422​	488​	504​	503​	428​	363​	487​
Saitama​	392​	455​	490​	582​	433​	328​	421​
Hyogo​	285​	292​	277​	265​	289​	149​	218​
Okinawa​	66​	70​	74​	130​	89​	67​	113​

Japan's daily coronavirus death toll tops 100 for first time

Tokyo confirmed 1,240 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday as the number of severely ill patients counted under Tokyo’s criteria rose by 12 to 155.

www.japantimes.co.jp

Taro Kono, administrative and regulatory reform minister, is now responsible for rolling out the vaccines. Pfizer's vaccines are slated to be approved in Japan by mid-February. Why so slow?

Japan’s new COVID-19 vaccine czar Taro Kono commits to rapid yet safe rollout

The nation is preparing to vaccinate, starting with medical workers and older people, based on hopes that Pfizer’s vaccine will be approved here by mid-February.

www.japantimes.co.jp

New COVID-19 legislature will stipulate fines and prison terms for noncompliance.

Fines of up to 500,000 yen ($4,800) against noncompliant companies and criminal penalties for defiant patients are the main features of revision bills that are heading to the Diet to fight the novel coronavirus. Lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, on Jan. 18 gave the nod to the government bills, which would strengthen restrictions on private rights. The legislation will be submitted to the Diet after gaining Cabinet approval this week. In his policy speech the same day in the Diet, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the bills will enhance the effectiveness of two existing laws: the special measures law to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Infectious Disease Law. The government seeks to enact the amended laws in early February to give authorities more power to ensure businesses and infected patients cooperate in efforts to bring the spreading virus under control. The existing laws do not contain any penalties for refusals to cooperate with requests for cooperation. The revision of the special measures law centers on introducing a maximum administrative penalty of 500,000 yen against businesses that do not comply with orders to close or shorten operating hours under a state of emergency issued by the central government. The revision would also allow prefectural governors to exercise the authority to effectively order restaurants and other establishments to change their operating hours.

Source: COVID-19 bills to impose fines, prison terms for noncompliance : The Asahi Shimbun

Three Shizuoka Prefecture residents were confirmed infected with the novel coronavirus variant found in Britain despite having no travel history to the country.

Source: Japan reports 1st likely community transmission of virus variant : The Asahi Shimbun

 

[Lothor]

I'm not commenting on rights and wrongs of this, but it's interesting that there are two stories today on the Japan Times website about people breaking ranks and ignoring the state of emergency.

Desperate restaurants defy Japan’s virus curbs to stay open late

While many restaurants in Tokyo are following the requests in return for subsidies, others are starting to break ranks.

www.japantimes.co.jp

Article expired

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www.japantimes.co.jp

 

[thomas]

I'm not commenting on rights and wrongs of this, but, interestingly, there are two stories today on the Japan Times website about people breaking ranks and ignoring the state of emergency.

I remember someone on the news saying that if the fat LDP cats disregard the coronavirus and have steak dinners, why should we the people care.

 

[musicisgood]

I remember someone on the news saying that if the fat LDP cats disregard the coronavirus and have steak dinners, why should we the people care.

Sad but true we're going to see much more of the fat catch whining and dying out and getting caught.
We we are already seeing a breakdown in society among the Young not paying attention anymore.
When the politicians cheat why not the regular common folks start cheating also.

 

[thomas]

Today Mr Suga reported that government had secured 310 million shots of COVID-19 vaccines to be supplied by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer. Vaccinations for the general public are set to start in May after giving shots to medical workers, followed by people age 65 or older from late March, then people with pre-existing conditions and those caring for older people.

"The vaccinations will start with medical professionals, older people and those with underlying medical conditions," Suga said. {...} The government has said Japan will receive an additional supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses for 12 million people from Pfizer, with the U.S. pharmaceutical giant's vaccine likely to gain approval for use in mid-February. Under the latest agreement, Japan has secured doses for a total of 72 million people, more than half of its population of 126 million, from Pfizer within this year, after agreeing last year to buy 120 million doses for 60 million people from the company.

Article expired

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www.japantimes.co.jp

 

[musicisgood]

a
Any one here not in favor of taking the vaccine ?

I've never had the flu, so I'm a bit puzzled why I should be forced to take such an experimental type of vaccine that actually only minimizes the the effect of the flu on a persons health. Does it stop you from getting the flu/corona virus. Well, my understanding is that is does not.

 

[Davey]

a
Any one here not in favor of taking the vaccine ?

I've never had the flu, so I'm a bit puzzled why I should be forced to take such an experimental type of vaccine that actually only minimizes the the effect of the flu on a persons health. Does it stop you from getting the flu/corona virus. Well, my understanding is that is does not.

Well I have my doubts as well and if it's offered to me now I think I would decline as I don't feel it's not that much needed in comparison to other people in the world and we don't really know if it works nor the (future) side affects. Etc.

 

[musicisgood]

Well I have my doubts as well and if it's offered to me now I think I would decline as I don't feel it's not that much needed in comparison to other people in the world and we don't really know if it works nor the (future) side affects. Etc.

Yes, its the side effects of the unknown that is scary, also one of the drug companies just announce the stopping of the making of the vaccine so that should be a red flag for us.
I'm sorry but I don't have the link for it, maybe it was on AOL

 

[thomas]

Invest 11 minutes in the video below and learn why vaccines help. I will be glad to roll up my sleeves for inoculation as soon as it's my turn.

 

[musicisgood]

Invest 11 minutes in the video below and learn why vaccines help. I will be glad to roll up my sleeves for inoculation as soon as it's my turn.

Good video. But the corona vaccine just doesn't across as something I want to shot into my body.

 

[thomas]

Good video. But the corona vaccine just doesn't across as something I want to shot into my body.

You have to watch all of the video, they explain why you should.

 

[musicisgood]

You have to watch all of the video, they explain why you should.

I've taken all the children's vaccines, just the corona vaccine is something I'm currently not interested in.

 

[thomas]

I've taken all the children's vaccines, just the corona vaccine is something I'm currently not interested in.

Well, you still have a few months to make up your mind.

Meanwhile, a few more resources for education:

Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine

What you need to know about getting a COVID-19 vaccination.

www.cdc.gov

On the road to herd immunity, vaccination speeds the journey

Not all vaccine skeptics have a physician in the family to guide them. Most don't personally know someone who works inside a hospital who can describe the horror and devastation this virus has wrought.

www.statnews.com

Oxford vaccine approved – now, here are 10 reasons why you should get vaccinated

The benefits of getting vaccinated far outweigh the risks – here’s why you should get vaccinated against COVID-19 and other diseases.

theconversation.com

In short, inoculations are essential to reach herd immunity and protect your loved ones.

 

[mdchachi]

Any one here not in favor of taking the vaccine ?

I've never had the flu, so I'm a bit puzzled why I should be forced to take such an experimental type of vaccine that actually only minimizes the the effect of the flu on a persons health. Does it stop you from getting the flu/corona virus. Well, my understanding is that is does not.

Flu/corona virus is not the same thing. They are completely different types of virus families. Why are you putting them in the same sentence?
We've known for almost a year they are completely unrelated.

I think one would be foolish not to take it. At least the Pfizer or Moderna ones. I probably would avoid the Chinese one if I had a choice.
By the time you get the chance, millions of doses will have been given out and there will be plenty of data regarding any side effects.
So far it seems there have been surprisingly few.

It stops you from getting sick from the coronavirus. Like any vaccine it preps your body so that when coronavirus shows up, it can pounce on it and eliminate it.
Which is basically the same as "not getting it" isn't it?

 

[musicisgood]

My understanding is that it does not you from getting the virus, but just lessens the damage the virus does to the body, also you can have the virus and still pass it on with taking the vaccine, isn't that correct?

 

[Majestic]

There is a very good article on this. Worth reading if you are interested. The answer is: we don't know yet. The follow-up answer is, even if you are still able to transmit the virus after getting vaccinated, the overall effect of widespread vaccination is that the virus is likely to die out, or cease becoming a problem.

Vaccines Need Not Completely Stop COVID Transmission to Curb the Pandemic

Lessons from other viruses show that even if vaccines don’t completely stop disease spread, they can still successfully contain it

www.scientificamerican.com

 

[thomas]

The numbers and a few updates on the coronavirus situation:

Nationwide infections:

20/01 (Wed)	21/01 (Thu)	22/01 (Fri)	23/01 (Sat)	24/01 (Son)	25/01 (Mon)	26/01 (Tue)
5,550​	5,653​	4,994​	5,077​	3.990​	2,764​	3,851​

Nationwide deaths - Seriously Ill:

20/01 (Wed)	21/01 (Thu)	22/01 (Fri)	23/01 (Sat)	24/01 (Son)	25/01 (Mon)	26/01 (Tue)
99 - 1,014​	96 - 1,039​	87 - 1,009​	105 - 965​	84 - 1,007​	65 - 1,017​	104 - ?​

Infections in selected prefectures:

	20/01 (Wed)	21/01 (Thu)	22/01 (Fri)	23/01 (Sat)	24/01 (Son)	25/01 (Mon)	26/01 (Tue)
Tokyo​	1.274​	1.471​	1.175​	1.070​	986​	618​	1.026​
Osaka​	506​	501​	450​	525​	421​	273​	343​
Hokkaido​	164​	130​	111​	138​	94​	88​	106​
Aichi​	246​	270​	246​	246​	164​	89​	215​
Kanagawa​	716​	731​	627​	521​	554​	351​	364​
Chiba​	397​	480​	462​	411​	328​	291​	340​
Saitama​	411​	436​	358​	325​	285​	251​	253​
Hyogo​	296​	292​	283​	225​	178​	80​	218​
Okinawa​	111​	68​	103​	79​	76​	41​	84​

It appears we have reached that dreaded "overshoot":

The survey showed Tokyo had the most infected people waiting to be hospitalized or accommodated at other facilities among the 11 prefectures, jumping 4.8 times from 1,563 as of Dec. 19 to 7,539. Meanwhile, the western prefecture of Hyogo has seen its number increase 5.8 times to 727 people. Every prefecture has seen a similar rise. Two of Tokyo's neighbouring prefectures -- Saitama and Chiba -- had 1,169 and 2,328, respectively, while there were 1,410 in the western prefecture of Osaka. Some local governments have determined the numbers of those who need to be hospitalized but are forced to stay at home because of a bed shortage, with 96 such cases in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, and 20 such cases in the central prefecture of Aichi.

At least 15,000 virus patients in 11 Japan prefs waiting for hospitals, accommodations - The Mainichi

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- At least 15,058 people were on the waiting list for a hospital or a designated accommodation after testing positive for the novel cor

mainichi.jp

Overwhelmed by virus, hospitals in Japan struggle to treat other emergency patients

While daily figures for new infections appear to have been decreasing overall, the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients set a record Monday, according to health ministry data.

www.japantimes.co.jp

Contrary to government plans, herd immunity will not be reached before October 2021. That's more than two months after the Olympic games are supposed to be held:

"Japan looks to be quite late in the game," Rasmus Bech Hansen, the founder of British research firm Airfinity, told Reuters. "They're dependent on importing many (vaccines) from the U.S. And at the moment, it doesn't seem very likely they will get very large quantities of, for instance, the Pfizer vaccine." Hansen said Japan will not reach a 75% inoculation rate, a benchmark for herd immunity, until around October, about two months after the close of the Summer Games.

Japan likely to hit COVID-19 herd immunity in Oct: researcher

Japan is likely to achieve herd immunity to COVID-19 through mass inoculations only months after the planned Tokyo Olympics, even though it has locked in the biggest quantity of vaccines in Asia, according to a London-based forecaster. That would be a blow to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga who...

japantoday.com

The number of coronavirus-related deaths outside hospitals is increasing:

Seventy-five people who died outside of medical facilities from Jan. 1 to Jan. 20 were infected with the novel coronavirus, including many believed to have been recuperating at home, the National Police Agency confirmed. The number of such deaths has increased this month, the NPA said. According to the NPA, 71 people were found dead at their homes, an elderly care facility, an accommodation centre, among other places. Four of them died after they went outdoors. Twenty-seven had tested positive for the novel coronavirus before their deaths, while the other 48 were confirmed infected after police carried out PCR tests on their bodies.

Virus-related deaths outside hospitals rise to 75 in January | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

And last but not least, Kyoto University professor Hiroshi Nishiura, an expert in epidemiological analysis, predicted that if Tokyo lifted the coronavirus state of emergency once new infections per day hit fewer than 500 (expected around 24 February), we'd be back to 1,000 new cases per day by mid-April.

For the stricter measure scenario, meanwhile, the indicator to lift the state of emergency was set at "100 new cases per day," and Nishiura calculated with the assumption that the declaration continued even if the daily cases dropped below 500. In this case, the number of daily infections falls to fewer than 100 on Feb. 25 and would not get back to the pre-state of the emergency level until mid-July.

3rd state of emergency possible in Japan with lax criteria to end current one: expert - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- If Japan's coronavirus state of emergency were to be lifted when the number of daily new cases had dropped to below 500, it could be back to

mainichi.jp

 

[Lothor]

The only silver lining is that the number of new cases per day seems to have peaked, but even that cannot be stated with confidence - apparently if you go for a private test and are tested positive, the result is not added to the official figures. So who knows what is really happening?