TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration Friday adopted an overall picture of its novel coronavirus countermeasures to better prepare for a possible sixth wave of COVID-19 infections in Japan.

The package included a plan to have some 37,000 hospital beds secured for COVID-19 patients by the end of this month to increase the availability of such hospital beds by 30 percent from the peak level in summer this year, when the country was hit by the fifth wave of infections.

If the country faces the worst case scenario in which the spread of infections puts strains on medical care systems, the government will implement strong movement restrictions, including a drastic review of public transportation service schedules.

“What’s important is to assume the worst case scenario and prepare for a possible next wave of infections,” Kishida said at a meeting of his government’s coronavirus response headquarters, where the overall picture of the government’s antivirus measures was adopted.

“We’ll urgently secure enough medical care availability to cope with a doubling of the infectivity of the coronavirus,” he said.

The government also aims to increase the capacity of temporary medical facilities for coronavirus patients who are at risk of developing severe symptoms by nearly four times from the peak level in summer to some 3,400 people.

As for coronavirus sufferers who are asked to quarantine themselves at home or accommodation facilities, the government plans to seek cooperation from medical institutions so that such people can be contacted on the day when they are found positive with the virus or the day after to surely monitor their health conditions and provide them with medical care. Such patients are estimated to reach some 230,000 in a peak period.

The government plans to release occupancy rates of hospital beds for coronavirus patients every month, starting in December, as a measure to address the issue of some medical institutions refusing to accept COVID-19 patients despite their pledges to do so. With the step, the government aims to maintain the occupancy rates at 80 percent or higher in a period of peak demand.

The government will also prepare for a case in which the infectivity triples compared with during the fifth wave. In such a case, the government will implement movement restrictions for the public, asking people to refrain from going out. It will also request eateries and bars to halt their operations temporarily, in addition to seeking the suspension of use of some facilities and the cancellation of events.

In a bid to focus on the treatment of COVID-19 patients, the government may ask medical institutions to restrict their ordinary medical care services.

Meanwhile, the government plans to start workplace COVID-19 vaccine booster inoculation programs at companies and universities as early as March next year.

With an aim to facilitate the development of coronavirus drugs, the government will provide assistance worth up to 2 billion yen per drug. It will secure some 600,000 doses of an oral COVID-19 drug by the end of March next year.

JIJI Press