Tokyo seeks to place some COVID-19 patients in hotel, as number of daily cases hits 97, a new high

The Tokyo metropolitan government is aiming to secure 4,000 hospital beds to accommodate a growing number of COVID-19 patients. The city recorded 97 confirmed cases on April 2nd, a new daily high. As of yesterday, metropolitan authorities had secured 700 beds, including 140 at designated medical institutions for infectious diseases. However, there are currently over 600 patients hospitalized in the city. Metropolitan authorities are scrambling to secure beds for an expected rapid increase in the number of infected people and to prevent a collapse of the medical system.

Mild and asymptomatic cases required to hospitalized

Under Japan’s Infectious Diseases Control Law, anyone testing positive for the virus is required to be hospitalized, even those who are asymptomatic or who have mild symptoms. Currently, about 80 percent of patients in Tokyo fall into these categories.

The metropolitan government is seeking to rent a single hotel to accommodate patients with mild symptoms or who exhibit no symptoms even though they tested positive.

Tokyo Governor Koike has requested that Prime Minister Abe allow the city to limit hospitalization to severely ill patients. She also requested that going forward, asymptomatic or mild cases be allowed to be accommodated in hotels in order to free up hospital beds.

Authorities say that if the number of cases “overshoots” it will be too late to take actions to prevent a collapse of the medical system.

Growing number of cases

As of April 2nd at 8PM, the Tokyo metropolitan government reported a total of 684 people testing positive. The April 2nd figure of 97 positive cases represented a daily increase of 31 people.

Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Tokyo. Screenshot from source: Tokyo metropolitan government website

Authorities note that the number of people under 40 testing positive is also increasing. About 60 percent of the 97 people who tested positive on April 2nd were in the 40-and under age group.

As of April 2nd, there were 4,880 cases tested in Tokyo for the novel coronavirus, excluding 777 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and returnees. Sixteen people in Tokyo have died from the disease.

The metropolitan government has continued to urge people to refrain from going to restaurants and entertainment venues like karaoke and nightclubs and to avoid going out at night.

Sources: Tokyo metropolitan government website Tokyo COVID-19 Information, Mainichi newspaper, April 2, 2020 (in Japanese)

Lead photo: iStock


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