Text by Miduho Morita (2021/04/17) Translation by Masahiro Yamamoto Check and Narration by Rachael Wiseman
● As of mid April, 2021, Japan has been hit with the 4th wave of the Coronavirus. With the new wave, the number of new patients is increasing much faster than ever before.
●Osaka Prefecture has had some of the highest numbers across Japan, and more than 1,000 newly infected people a day continue as of mid April. New data has shown that over the last 3 consecutive days, 80 % of those examined were infected with the new virus strain.
●Medical staff are saying,
・Those infected in the fourth wave usually stay in hospital three or four
days longer than those previously infected.
・Not only the elderly but the young or those without chronic diseases or pre-existing conditions are likely to develop severe symptoms.
・At a hospital in Osaka, more than 50 % of patients with severe symptoms and those who are on artificial ventilation are said to be younger than 50 years old.
● The number of patients with the new virus strain are said to be more than that of the original coronavirus. While Osaka has large numbers, other regions of Japan have been affected as well.
●As with most viruses, the corona virus is constantly changing and going through mutations, new variants of the virus are expected to emerge over time. The following is from research findings that have been made in some European countries and the US. The British virus variant cases are increasing in Japan along with new strains, which are prevalent all over the world. The British variant is said to be 1.4 to 1.9 times more contagious than the original virus.
[reference]
関西テレビ 変異ウイルスで若い世代の重症化急増 最前線の医師「想定以上の速さで重症化」「最悪の事態を超えている」(2021/04/15)
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/0c7a39b5fda718c09b85c8630f166d1a29c0b427
NHK “第4波はまるで違う”大阪の記者が感じる医師の危機感
(2021/04/15)
WHO(World health Organization)
" Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 - 13 April 2021"
https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on-covid-19---13-april-2021