Strain on medical and care systems leads Japan to extend state of emergency
While new COVID-19 cases are on the decline in the 19 prefectures, medical systems are still burdened there, government officials said.
While new COVID-19 cases are on the decline in the 19 prefectures, medical systems are still burdened there, government officials said.
An independent committee established with the approval of the city of Kobe recently compiled and released a report on the Rokko Tsurujuen, a social welfare corporation in Nada Ward, Kobe City, which has been found to have provided inappropriate care to the elderly and whose employees complained of power harassment.
Regarding the infections, the Shizuoka Municipal Government on June 16 apologized for and withdrew comments it had made the previous day that weakened immune systems after inoculations were responsible for the coronavirus cluster at the nursing home.
The coronavirus vaccine rollout in Japan has been focusing on senior citizens. But recently there are growing calls for childcare givers to be offered priority inoculations.
At least three establishments in Kanazawa City are unable to accept new applications for the “home-visit bathing” care service. The reason behind this is that there is a shortage of staff, and there have been cases where ALS patients who have been refused access to the service have been unable to take a bath for a long period of time.
The rise in the number of deaths from the coronavirus is largely due to cluster infections at nursing homes and other similar facilities, the Asahi Shimbun reported on April 5.
The Japanese government wants to start priority vaccinations for the new coronavirus to care workers who work in facilities for the elderly. In fact, even in the same long-term care work, those who work in facilities such as elderly homes are eligible for priority vaccination, but those who work in home-visit care are not.
Of the total, 123 died at home, elderly nursing homes and accommodation facilities, while the other nine died at workplaces, parking areas and other locations.
A panel of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party drew up on Monday a set of urgent proposals including a request for group vaccinations against the new coronavirus for residents and workers at elderly care facilities.
The Japanese government has asked ten prefectures under its coronavirus state of emergency to launch an intensive coronavirus testing campaign at elderly care facilities. The action is in response to the growing number of cluster infections at such facilities.


