Since 1975
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • Home
  • Japan
  • Caught off-guard by scant testing, Japan battered by COVID winter

Caught off-guard by scant testing, Japan battered by COVID winter

A medical staff wearing protective clothing (L) and an official acting as a patient conduct a demonstration of the PCR swab test for the COVID-19 coronavirus at a centre in Shinagawa in Tokyo. (AFP)
A medical staff wearing protective clothing (L) and an official acting as a patient conduct a demonstration of the PCR swab test for the COVID-19 coronavirus at a centre in Shinagawa in Tokyo. (AFP)
Short Url:
15 Jan 2021 03:01:04 GMT9
15 Jan 2021 03:01:04 GMT9

 Japan missed opportunities to coordinate coronavirus testing and secure hospital beds in the months before the pandemic’s third wave, health officials, doctors and experts say, missteps that hampered its response as winter set in.

Japan has stood out for containing infections while avoiding the strict lockdowns that devastated economies elsewhere. The death toll, now at 4,315, is one of the lowest among developed nations and around 1% of that of the United States.

But the third wave has been painful. Daily infections hit a record 2,447 in Tokyo last week and authorities this month launched a second state of emergency.

More than a dozen doctors, experts and health officials told Reuters authorities were slow to expand testing and said officials still lack real-time data on testing numbers. That raises questions about Japan’s grasp of its own testing capabilities, just months before the planned Olympics.

“The bottom line is that the Japanese government underestimated the potential impact of coronavirus infections,” said Kentaro Iwata, an infectious disease expert.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s ratings have plunged over his handling of the crisis and polls show about 80% of people believe the Olympics should be cancelled or delayed. 

Testing, Testing
From the start, Japan has done fewer tests than other major economies, focusing on infection clusters and virus tracing.

Public health officials and doctors have lobbied for months for increased testing to ensure early detection and help contain the spread.

Japan officially conducts around 55,000 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests daily, less than half of capacity, according to government data compiled from public health centres and other institutions.

The data doesn’t include private clinics, which have been doing PCR tests since last spring. The lack of coordinated data makes it difficult to grasp the real scope of testing and formulate strategies, experts including Yoshihito Niki of Showa University Hospital say.

The health ministry said it does not have the authority to require testing centres to share data, but would consider ways to compile private results.

“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.

Still, the lack of data coordination doesn’t cast doubt on Japan’s reported infections, experts say, as those who test positive in private clinics are believed to follow instructions and report results at public health centres.

Hitoshi Oshitani, who has guided the virus response, said increased testing, while important, could overwhelm hospitals.

“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.

Reuters

Most Popular
Recommended

return to top