TOKYO: A panel of experts set up by the Japanese government will start discussions shortly to review its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The eight-member panel is expected to compile a report as early as June. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said he plans to use the outcome of the review to make improvements.

High on the agenda of the panel will be how authorities and hospitals should cooperate. Health care systems were strained across the country amid the pandemic, though Japan is one of countries with large numbers of hospitals and hospital beds.

The problem is that Japan has many small hospitals. In addition, some hospitals have declined to admit COVID-19 patients, though they had reported to authorities that they would be able to do so.

Some government officials have been seeking to clarify the role of each hospital region-by-region during a rise in infections. A senior health ministry official said law revisions are necessary to tighten government control over hospitals.

The panel is also expected to discuss restrictions on movements. Some had called for powerful restrictions such as lockdowns during the height of the pandemic. The focus has shifted to the reopening of the economy since the less severe omicron variant has become the dominant strain of the coronavirus.

The government’s COVID-19 response is currently handled by the Cabinet Secretariat and the health ministry. In addition, there is a cabinet minister in charge of COVID-19 vaccinations.

In his campaigning in last year’s ruling party leadership race, Kishida pledged to form a new government agency to oversee a response to outbreaks of infectious diseases.

But there has been little progress in the effort. A government official cited difficulty sourcing staff for such an agency.

The government is concerned about a possible seventh COVID-19 wave as tourist destinations are getting busy with visitors during the ongoing holiday period in Japan.

“The aftermath of the holidays is a crucial period. The current situation allows for a surge in infections,” a Cabinet Secretariat official said. The government is calling for the continuation of basic precautions such as mask wearing and ventilation.

JIJI Press