How Japan is Coping With the Current Pandemic Corona Virus
Covid-19 is a worldwide pandemic that has affected many countries globally. Japan is one of the countries that have managed to effectively contain the spread of the virus. Many countries like the European and American continents have been hit hard by the pandemic, recording hundreds of thousand cases and deaths in equal measures. Some of the reasons why they have become more successful include immediate government response, wearing facials masks, sanitizing, state of emergency, and the mandatory use of the BCG tuberculosis vaccine. How have they managed to do that? Find more on this article.
How Japan Curbed Corona-virus Outbreak
The Japanese authorities adopted and applied several measures that helped to prevent the spread of the outbreak. The first case was reported on 16th January earlier in the year. On 30th January, the prime minister formed the national antivirus force. The main objective was coming up with mitigation plans to curb the spread. On 27th February, the government closed all junior and high schools till the earlier days of April.
Improving Medical Systems and Services
After the outbreak happened on the Diamond Princess ship, the government decided to focus on implementing a policy for mitigation. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases was tasked with facilitating testing and consultation systems. The government also revamped the prevailing municipal and prefecture health systems. They normally focused on transferring coronavirus patients to the largest medical facilities. That ensured an easy-to-follow patient’s flow, testing, triage, and preventing the rising number of cases from overwhelming the medical facilities.
The government also began conducting mass testing to anyone who had a previous travel history and those with symptoms linked to disease. The NIID also contracted services of SRL Inc. to improve the testing abilities. They also began working on the development of a reliable and accurate testing kit. On 14th February, the government established 536 centers for consultancy in all states to guide citizens about treatment and testing.
Infection Statistics
Japan reported its first case of the pandemic on 16th January, 2020. They have already recorded 42,663 with an incredible 28,028 recoveries. At the moment, they have around 13,607 active cases getting treated in different mainstream hospital facilities. They have one of the lowest death rates in the world, with 1,028 having died from the disease. The fatality rate stands at 2.41%, way better than most countries globally.
Vaccine Attempts
Japan has played a key role in attempting to come up with a vaccine. The main aim is to come up with one which can prevent infection and the other helping to prevent the mild and harsh symptoms of affected patients. However, after the pandemic, Japan has begun administering the BCG tuberculosis mandatory vaccine to all the citizens. They have managed to test several vaccines that are at advanced stage awaiting World Health Organization approval.
When Coronavirus hit Japan, many people thought they would have massive casualties due to the high number of elderly population in the country. However, they implemented measures that led to the mitigation of the outbreak.