TOKYO (JAPAN) – According to health officials, doctors and experts, Japan missed chances to coordinate coronavirus screening and secure hospital beds in the months before the third wave of the coronavirus, adding that missteps had hampered its response with the onset of winter.
Japan has been noticed for containing the infections as well as avoiding strict lockdowns, which have affected economies world over. So far, the nation has marked as many as 4,315 fatalities linked to the virus, the lowest among developed nations.
However, the third wave of the virus has hit the nation really hard. Daily new infections touched a record 2,447 in Tokyo last week and authorities were forced to declare a second state of emergency this month.
More than a dozen doctors, experts and health officials said the officials were slow in enhancing the ambit of testing, adding that officials still lack real-time data on testing numbers. This poses questions about the nation’s grasp of its own testing abilities months before the Games.
“The bottom line is that the Japanese government underestimated the potential impact of coronavirus infections,” said Kentaro Iwata, an infectious disease expert.
Given the manner in which Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has handled the pandemic, his ratings have tanked with polls showing about 80% of people seeking the cancellation of the Games.
From the onset of the pandemic, the nation has conducted fewer testings compared to other developed countries. Instead, it chose to focus on clusters and virus tracing.
For months at a stretch, doctors and health officials have lobbied for enhanced testing to ensure early detection to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
On an average, the nation conducts around 55,000 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests everyday, less than half of capacity, as per government data.
However, the data does not include private clinics, which are also conducting the PCR tests since spring. This lack of coordinated data makes it really difficult to understand the real scope of testing and formulate strategies, said experts such as Yoshihito Niki of Showa University Hospital.
According to the health ministry, it lacks the authority to require testing centres to share data. But it said it would think of ways to compile data from private centres.
“Unless Japan increases PCR tests and makes them more accessible for people without symptoms, we’ll face the same situation again,” said Hayato Miyachi of Tokai University.
Hitoshi Oshitani, who has guided the virus response, said enhanced screening for the virus would lead to hospitals becoming overwhelmed.
“We are in the middle of an increasing trend of cases, and I don’t think it’s a good time to change the testing policy,” Oshitani said.
Frontline doctors said the winter surge was predictable. Tokyo-area hospitals beds were full and the staff is feeling overstretched.
According to a health ministry survey, many private hospitals are unable to take in virus patients and the government cannot tell them to do so.
The government allocated 269.3 billion yen ($2.6 billion) in subsidies in December to hospitals willing to admit COVID patients. Â