Japan breaks record for coronavirus cases, limits hospital admissions

The Japanese government on Wednesday introduced a controversial policy in which coronavirus patients moderate symptoms isolating yourself at home Instead of being admitted to hospitals, new cases in Tokyo broke records during the Olympics.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s plan, which sought to reserve hospital beds almost exclusively for people with or at risk of showing severe symptoms, was a radical change of strategy.

Cases in the capital have more than tripled since the Games began on July 23.

Tokyo reported 4,166 new cases Wednesday, a record since the start of the pandemic early last year.

The new measure, introduced this week, was debated in parliament on Wednesday. The opposition, some lawmakers and ruling party experts have argued that the lives of people isolated in their homes without proper care would be in danger.

Suga, who has been criticized for insisting on hosting the Games despite public concerns about the virus, said there was no evidence that connecting the business rebound to the Games.

Infections, driven by the more contagious delta variant, could reach 10,000 a day by mid-August, some experts say.

Scientists have called for the state of emergency to be extended, which now includes Tokyo and four other regions across the country.

Emergency measures, which aimed to limit the sale of alcohol and the hours of eating establishments, were increasingly ignored by a population weary of the restrictions.

“The pandemic has entered a new phase ”Health Minister Norihisa Tamura told parliament. “The capacity of the hospital is limited.”

The minister defended the home isolation plan to prevent a medical collapse similar to the one that occurred in April in Osaka, when thousands of people worsened and some died at home while awaiting a place in the hospital. ‘hospital.

Tamura asked to prevent this situation from happening again and urged people to avoid non-essential outings to stop contagions.

In Tokyo, there are more than 14,000 patients with mild symptoms isolated at home, more than 10 times the figure of a month ago, while 8,400 more are waiting for places in hospitals or adapted hotels.

Opposition lawmakers criticized Suga for does not increase the capacity of the hospital enough, despite warnings about the contagious delta variant. Treatment for the coronavirus in Japan is limited to public and university hospitals with adequate facilities and staff.

“Lives that could be saved will be lost,” said Kazunori Yamanoi, deputy of the Democratic Constitutional Party of Japan, describing the home isolation as “abandonment”.

Dr Shigeru Omi, the government’s senior medical adviser, said patients at risk of developing severe symptoms at home would need adequate support from doctors in their community who would make home visits.

Source: AP