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COVID-19 figures don’t tell the whole story: Japanese medical expert

Junko Marui, CEO of Medical Research (Supplied)
Junko Marui, CEO of Medical Research (Supplied)
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18 Jun 2021 12:06:27 GMT9
18 Jun 2021 12:06:27 GMT9

Khaldon Azhari

TOKYO: A Japanese healthcare professional, Junko Marui, has put forward an alternative view on assessing the number of people infected with COVID-19, and the number may not be as dramatic as has been generally thought.

In an interview with Arab News Japan, Marui, a nurse and CEO of Medical Research, a Tokyo-based think tank, said that the effects of the contemporary Coronavirus pandemic are by comparison not as devastating or fatal as those of the Spanish flu that swept the world from 1918 to 1920.

Of course, even if it is not as bad as its predecessor, the current spread of the coronavirus infection has been quite problematic enough to various regions around the world – Brazil, the United States, Western Europe, India – and the damage caused has been considerable, in human, medical and economic terms.

By comparison, Japan has had far fewer cases and loss of life than these worst-hit countries, and ranks 34th in per capita figures. Marui observed that this time, because of advances in testing that were unavailable 100 years ago, we have much more information for people who have been infected with the virus – not just persons merely exposed but persons actually infected and contagious themselves – but who exhibit few or no symptoms.

Still, even with better testing, the line between those who can spread the disease, and those who have been exposed to it but cannot spread it, remains ambiguous. One major challenge faced by Japan is the large number of visitors expected for the Olympics. However, a testing system for visitors carried out both before leaving their home country (two PCR tests) and after arrival in Japan (one antigen test) is being worked out. Japan approved the Pfizer vaccine in February and gave the green light for the Moderna and Astra Zeneca vaccines at the end of May.

The number of people in Japan who have had one injection (15.2%) or both injections (5.6%) is still relatively low compared with countries like Chile and the U.S. where the number as a percentage of the population is quite large. Many of the new vaccines, including two of the three vaccines approved by Japan (Pfizer and Moderna), are mRNA vaccines which do not actually introduce viral material into the patient and are not considered to have any impact on the patient’s DNA.

Marui argues that serious adverse reactions (anaphylactic shock) due to vaccination are expected to be minimal ranging between 2 to 11 cases per million people vaccinated. Common side effects experienced in Japan by those vaccinated include local redness and swelling at the inoculation site, and fever. But such side effects vary somewhat from person to person. The second inoculation side effects seem to be more pronounced.

She recommended that in the event of side effects, patients who have received one or more injections should consult their local doctor.

On the other hand, although the vaccine is currently highly effective, it is not 100% effective to suppress the onset of symptoms.

The cause-and-effect relationship with the vaccine is under scrutiny in Japan, but 135 people reportedly died after vaccination as of May 30. “Although it is still in the midst of a war against COVID-19, we need to view objective information calmly,” Marui concluded.

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