Arab News Japan

TOKYO: The key to Japan’s low rate of COVID-19 infections is the mask rather than the vaccine, Nikkan Gendai newspaper reported. 

In a report titled “Why doesn’t Japan have a Western-scale pandemic?”, the paper notes that the United States exceeded 440,000 infections on Dec. 27, while the U.K. has seen a single-day rate of 130,000 and France 180,000.

Vaccination rates don’t seem to provide the answer as the report points out that the U.S. vaccination rate is 61% (double doses) and booster vaccination is about 20%. In the U.K., the rates are 70% and 49%, while in France it’s 73% and 31%.

While Japan has a double vaccination rate of 78%, less than 1% have received booster vaccinations. What accounts for this.

The RIKEN science institution says about 60% of Japanese people with certain leukocyte types are believed to have cross-immunity to the coronavirus. Others believe mask wearing is the key factor.

Kunio Yano, a Special Advisor for Infectious Disease Management at Hamamatsu Medical Center, says: “The fact is that wearing a surgical non-woven mask has prevented secondary infections. Also, the reason why the influenza epidemic did not spread last year is that many people wear masks and have immunity. This time, about 80% of the people are immune to the coronavirus, so I think that the infection is kept at a low level by wearing masks.”