Experiencing A Spike In COVID-19 Infections: Japan Announces Violators Of Health Protocols, Hospitals Only Treat Patients With Severe Case

Ilustrasi COVID 19 di Jepang. (Wikimedia Commons / Half-split socks)

JAKARTA - Japanese authorities have announced that they will only treat severe COVID-19 patients and those with potentially severe cases in hospitals, with violators of the COVID-19 health protocol to be made public.

The surge in cases of COVID-19 infection overwhelmed Japan. Last week, Japan's capital Tokyo announced a record 4.085 daily infections as of Saturday, July 31. Not only that, but the national daily infection case also recorded a record for the first time reaching 10.000 cases, as reported by local media.

Tokyo hospitals are already feeling the crisis, Hironori Sagara, director of Showa University Hospital, told Reuters.

"Some were repeatedly denied entry. In the midst of the excitement of the Olympics, the situation for medical personnel is very serious", he said, quoted on Tuesday, August 2.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who announced the changes on Monday, said the government would ensure people isolated at home could be hospitalized if necessary. Previous policies focused on the hospitalization of a wider category of patients. However, some fear the shift could lead to more deaths.

"They call it home care, but actually it is home neglect", said Yukio Edano, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, as quoted by public TV NHK.

Nearly 70 percent of hospital beds for terminally ill COVID-19 patients were filled on Sunday, Tokyo data showed. Sagara from Showa University Hospital said there was a difference between a theoretically available bed and a bed that could receive patients immediately.

"I think the latter is close to zero", he said, adding that if infections continued to rise, hospitals would have to limit surgery and other non-COVID-19 treatments.

Illustration of COVID-19 in Japan. (Wikimedia Commons/nakashi)

"We have to avoid a situation where the Olympics are being held, but the medical system is collapsing. At the moment, infections are spreading quite a lot and if they spike any further, (the Olympics) will be considered a failure", he continued.

According to the Ministry of Health guidelines, seriously ill patients are defined as those who are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) or require artificial respirators. The Tokyo Shimbun newspaper said 12.000 patients were isolated at home, a 12-fold increase in the past month.

Last week, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Olympic organizers said there was no link between the country's quadrennial Games and the spike in COVID-19 infections. However, medical experts say hosting the Olympics sends a confusing message about the need to stay home, contributing to the increase.

Separately, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters that the number of elderly people in Tokyo infected has now become less after the majority of this group had received the COVID-19 vaccine.

"On the other hand, infections in younger people are increasing and people in their 40s and 50s with severe symptoms are increasing. With people also being hospitalized with heatstroke, some people cannot be treated immediately and recover at home", he explained.

Japan on Monday expanded its state of emergency to include three prefectures near Tokyo and the western prefecture of Osaka. The state of emergency imposed in Tokyo, the fourth since the pandemic began and Okinawa will last until August 31.

Meanwhile, Japanese authorities issued threats to publicly humiliate those who do not comply with COVID-19 health protocols. Three citizens who violated quarantine rules after returning from abroad were announced on Monday evening local time.

The names of the three were clearly mentioned, having acted to avoid contact with the authorities after recently returning from overseas. The announcement, for the first time, sparked speculation among Twitter users about details of those identified, such as their occupations and locations.

For information, Japan asks all travelers from abroad, including its own citizens, to self-quarantine for two weeks, during which they are asked to use a location tracking mobile phone app and report their health condition.