Over 400 COVID-19 Cases in One Month
Increase in Community Infections Outside Yokohama Port Cruise Ship
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Japanese media reported on the 16th that the Japanese government has decided to shift the focus of its novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) measures from "Mizugiwa" (水際), which aims to block inflow from abroad, to domestic testing and treatment.
The term Mizugiwa, meaning "water's edge" in Japanese, refers to thorough quarantine measures at airports and ports to prevent the domestic inflow of pathogens.
However, as COVID-19 patients with unclear infection routes have already been rapidly increasing across Japan, the quarantine measures aimed at blocking inflow from abroad have shown their limitations.
Accordingly, the Japanese government has decided to expand medical institutions capable of implementing early detection of domestic infections and treatment of infected patients to prevent severe cases.
One month after the first COVID-19 infection was confirmed in Japan, the number of infected people in Japan has exceeded 400. A significant portion of these cases occurred on a cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port, but community infections within Japan are also increasing.
About 40 patients have been reported in 11 major regional local governments across Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
Representative cases of regional infections include the Saiseikai Arida Hospital in Wakayama Prefecture, where 5 infections occurred, and a New Year's party on a pleasure boat in Tokyo where 9 infected residents were reported.
Among the infected at the pleasure boat New Year's party, 5 were taxi drivers, raising alarms about quarantine measures on public transportation in Japan.
Katsunobu Kato, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, said at a press conference the day before that since the 13th, there have been multiple cases in Japan where the infection routes are not clearly identified, stating, "The situation is different from before."
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has not been able to identify the infection routes in four cases, including the cluster infection at Saiseikai Arida Hospital, a man in his 20s in Chiba Prefecture, a man in his 50s in Hokkaido, and a man in his 60s in Aichi Prefecture, according to media reports.
The number of COVID-19 infections in Japan accounts for half of all infected individuals outside of China, the origin of the virus. Japan's reputation as an advanced country in quarantine has been tarnished.
If the COVID-19 outbreak prolongs, it may also affect the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics scheduled to be held in July.
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