[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Japanese government announced that it will no longer track the daily number of new COVID-19 cases. Due to the recent surge in new cases, frontline medical institutions have been burdened with reporting patient numbers to the government, leading to the decision to discontinue the daily tally of new cases that has been maintained since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.
According to the Asahi Shimbun on the 20th, Kato Katsunobu, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, appeared before the National Diet the previous day and stated, "We will listen to expert opinions to reduce the burden on the field while maintaining the purpose of comprehensive tracking and reach a conclusion quickly," indicating a review of the full tracking of confirmed cases. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is considering options such as requiring only some medical institutions to report patients or reporting only patients at risk of severe illness, and plans to decide on a specific direction within this month.
In Japan, COVID-19 is classified as "Category 2 equivalent," the second highest among five levels under the Infectious Diseases Control Law, alongside tuberculosis. Medical institutions are required to identify and report the names, contact information, and other details of all COVID-19 patients to public health centers daily. The government and local authorities use these reports to monitor the infection situation and determine the necessity of patient hospitalization. Each local government in Japan compiles and announces the daily number of new confirmed cases.
Prime Minister Kishida Fumio previously instructed Minister Kato on the 15th to review the comprehensive tracking of COVID-19 cases and to consult with experts on whether COVID-19 can be downgraded to "Category 5," similar to seasonal influenza.
Minister Kato indicated on the same day that if COVID-19 is downgraded to Category 5, "unless urgently necessary, the special temporary vaccination program funded by taxes will end," suggesting the possibility of charging for vaccinations. Currently, COVID-19 is classified as "Category 2 equivalent," so there is no personal cost for treatment and vaccination. However, the government and ruling party generally agree that treatment and vaccination should continue to be funded by taxes for the time being.
Meanwhile, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Japan has not been decreasing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Japan recorded the highest number of new cases worldwide for four consecutive weeks up to the 14th. On the 18th and 19th, 255,000 and 261,000 new cases were confirmed respectively, setting new records for two consecutive days.
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