Japan added to ‘do not travel’ list amid COVID-19 surge: What we know about Tokyo Olympics
The opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics is less than two months away, but plenty of questions remain about how host nation Japan will manage the large-scale event despite public health concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
An influx of thousands of athletes, coaches and media members to the country –currently dealing with challenges to the health care system it had yet to encounter during the pandemic – will only complicate the situation.
The Olympics run from July 23 to Aug. 8, and the Paralympics will take place from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.
As sports and life look to be on the verge of a return to normal in the United States, here is a look at the situation in Japan:
Current coronavirus statistics in Japan
Japan reported 4,590 new COVID-19 cases and 76 deaths over the last 24 hours, according to the most recent data from the World Health Organization.
In total, 12,312 individuals have died from coronavirus in Japan. The death rate from infection has increased to levels seen over the winter and hospitals are starting to reach capacities in some parts of the country.
State of emergency to be extended
A state of emergency regarding the pandemic is currently in effect in nine prefectures, including Tokyo. Those orders went into effect on April 25 and were set to expire on May 11, but the deadline was pushed to May 31.
The state of emergency is expected to be extended until either June 13 or June 20, according to the Japan Times and the Kyodo News.
Fourth wave triggers ‘a collapse’
A “fourth wave” is presenting problems in Japan and can be attributed to a combination of infectious COVID-19 variants, relaxed restrictions and a slow vaccination rollout. In Osaka, Japan’s second-largest city, the director of a hospital told Reuters “simply put, this a collapse of the medical system.”
The hospitalization rate in Osaka is 14 percent, per Reuters, while it is 37 percent in Tokyo. At one point last week, 96 percent of the 348 hospital beds reserved in Osaka for serious virus cases were in use. Still, over 80 percent of the beds are occupied, according to the Kyodo News.
Mass vaccination sites open in Tokyo, Osaka
Japan lags behind other developed nations in vaccination rate, with less than five percent of the population taking one shot and around two percent fully vaccinated.
The country took a step forward when the Moderna vaccine was approved (it had been only using Pfizer shots) by the government Friday, according to The Mainichi, and two state-run vaccination sites – one in Tokyo and one in Osaka – opened Monday. The Tokyo site can inoculate up to 10,000 individuals per day and 5,000 people can receive a shot per day in Osaka.