New Wave Of Coronavirus Infections Threatens Japan's Hospitals As Emergency Care Collapses

The outbreak of the virus has exposed the inherent weaknesses in medical care in Japan. The hospital beds, medical workers, and equipment are all lacking

The number of people infected with Coronavirus in Japan has reached about 11,512. (Image: AFP)

Tokyo: The emergency medical system has completely collapsed due to the new wave of Coronavirus in Japan. The scenario has turned more critical as the hospitals in Japan are increasingly turning away sick people as they struggle with surging Coronavirus infections. The number of people infected with Coronavirus in Japan has reached about 11,512. So far 281 people have died due to this deadly pandemic. In one recent case, an ambulance carrying a man with a fever and breathing difficulties was rejected by 80 hospitals and forced to search for hours in downtown Tokyo for one that would treat him. Another feverish man finally reached a hospital after paramedics unsuccessfully contacted 40 clinics. The Japanese Association for Acute Medicine and the Japanese Society for Emergency Medicine say many emergency rooms are refusing to treat people, including those hit by strokes, heart attacks, and external injuries. Nearly one-third of the domestic cases come from Tokyo, where the daily surge has overburdened hospitals. Initially, Japan seemed to have restrained the Coronavirus outbreak by going after clusters of infections in particular places, normally the enclosed spaces such as clubs, gyms, and meeting venues. But the spread of virus outpaced this approach and most new cases are untraceable. The outbreak has highlighted underlying weaknesses in medical care in Japan, which has long been praised for its high-quality insurance system and reasonable costs. The experts have blamed the government that medical staff is having difficulty in doing their work due to a widespread shortage of personal protective gear and equipment that medical workers require to do their jobs. The outbreak of the virus has exposed the inherent weaknesses in medical care in Japan. The hospital beds, medical workers, and equipment are all lacking. The forced hospitalization of anyone with the virus, even those with mild symptoms, has left hospitals overcrowded and understaffed. Yoshitake Yokokura, who heads the Japan Medical Association stated there are not enough protective gowns, masks and face shields, raising risks of infection for medical workers, and making treatment of COVID-19 patients increasingly difficult. Osamu Nishida, head of the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine said many hospitals also lack ICUs, with only five per 100,000 people, compared with about 30 in Germany, 35 in the U.S., and 12 in Italy. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government has secured 15,000 ventilators and is getting the support of Sony and Toyota Motor Corp. to produce more.