Japan's Sharp Drop in COVID-19 Cases Draws Criticism from Korean Professor: "K-Quarantine Full of Contradictions"

"More People Need Natural Infection Experience...PCR Testing Should Stop for Asymptomatic and Mild Patients"

The bustling Ginza district in Tokyo, where many people come and go [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] Amid the severe resurgence of COVID-19, the number of new confirmed cases in Japan has sharply declined, drawing attention to the reasons behind this trend. Although the exact cause remains unclear, a domestic preventive medicine expert claimed that "Japan did not prevent natural infections," arguing that the current situation reveals a fatal flaw in 'K-quarantine.'

Professor Lee Deokhee of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Kyungpook National University School of Medicine posted an article titled "Do Not Fear the COVID-19 Virus" on June 16 on 'Brunch,' operated by Kakao, expressing these views.

Japan recorded its lowest daily number of confirmed cases this year at 50 on the 22nd. Although the number slightly increased to 113 on the 23rd, it dropped again to 77 on the 24th. Deaths have also been minimal, with zero on the 19th and 21st, and only two on the 22nd and 23rd. This contrasts sharply with South Korea, where confirmed cases reached the 4,000 range.

Professor Lee said, "Japan, which has a vaccination rate similar to Korea, differs most significantly in that from the beginning, the government did not intervene to block natural infections that passed with asymptomatic or mild symptoms under the name of quarantine."

He continued, "The sharp decline in Japan’s confirmed cases began when the vaccination rate was still below 50%, which is possible because there are people who have experienced natural infections that provide strong and broad immunity. A decline in confirmed cases cannot be achieved simply by increasing vaccination rates," he pointed out.

He added, "From the early stages of the pandemic, I emphasized the importance of 'cross immunity.' Cross immunity means that if one has been exposed to similar coronaviruses in the past, they have resistance to COVID-19. For this reason, East Asia is a region with very high resistance to COVID-19."

Professor Lee stated, "The sharp decline in Japan’s confirmed cases shows a fatal error in the fundamental premise of K-quarantine?that 'even asymptomatic infections must absolutely be prevented.' Korea has been experiencing a quarantine full of contradictions for about two years," he criticized.

He argued, "If Korea and Japan, which had completely opposite quarantine policies from the start, had closely cooperated to compare and analyze the epidemic situation, they could have early realized that quarantine does not play such a significant role in a pandemic."

He added, "Until now, quarantine authorities have misled the public into believing that raising vaccination rates alone can solve all problems. To overcome this crisis, more people need to experience natural infections, whether breakthrough infections or otherwise. Even now, epidemiological investigations tracking movement and PCR testing for asymptomatic and mild cases should be stopped," he concluded.