Another update from Lily McDermott & Chase Sutherland, the Kumamoto JET advisors

① Translation of a Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun article which provides a good overview of the COVID-19 situation as of yesterday (6 August) evening: Kumamoto Prefecture and City announced 10 new cases of COVID-19 on 6 August in both men and women ranging from their 20s to their 70s.

One of the people who were announced to have been infected on 5 August was a 70 year old resident of Yatsushiro City who works part time at a prefectural high school in Yatsushiro. This is the first time a member of the teaching staff at a prefectural high school has been confirmed. The total number of cases is now 331 (110 in Kumamoto City).

According to the prefecture, the male part-time staff member led club activities outside the school between 27 July and 3 August. The prefecture said it will not conduct PCR tests on the students who participated in the club activities he instructed. On 6 August, the high school sent all students home and ordered them to stay home. The school will remain closed for the time being.

Of the cases announced by the prefecture, one was a co-worker and close contact of the Hitoyoshi man in his 50s who passed away in his home.

“New Amakusa Hospital”, which partially closed due to a staff member contracting COVID-19, re-opened to new patients yesterday after all 190 contacts tested negative.

5 new cases were confirmed in Kumamoto City. Of those, two were members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces in Kita-ku. They had been involved in assisting with the disaster response in Ashikita in July, but report having no contact with any of the locals. This brings the total number of cases confirmed among staff members of the Ground Self-Defense Force base to 4.

Another case announced by Kumamoto City was a Chuo-ku woman in her 30s who works as a nurse at Kumamoto Takumadai Rehabilitation Hospital.

As of 10am on 6 August, the number of hospitalized patients is 156, meaning 39.0% of hospital beds are occupied in the prefecture as a whole. In places where clusters have occurred, that percentage is higher – 90.0% in the area of the Yamaga Heath Centre and 48.9% in the area of the Ariake Health Centre. There is 1 critically ill patient, 25 moderately severe, 100 with mild symptoms and 30 asymptomatic patients. (Ryosuke Takamune, Naoyuki Kubota; https://this.kiji.is/664064668785755233?c=92619697908483575)

② List of cases announced on 6 August Case 332 (August 6) - Male in his 30s, Kumamoto City - Investigation into infection route ongoing Case 331 (August 6) - Female in her 40s, Kumamoto City - Investigation into infection route ongoing Case 330 (August 6) - Female in her 70s, Kumamoto City - Investigation into infection route ongoing Case 329 (August 6) - Male in his 30s, Kumamoto City - Works for the SDF, Close contact with the 276th case Case 328 (August 6) - Male in his 20s, Kumamoto City - Works for the SDF, Close contact with the 276th case Case 327 (6 August) - Tamana City - Woman in her 70s, investigation ongoing Case 326 (6 August) - Hitoyoshi City - Man in his 50s, co-worker of Case 290 Case 324-325 (5 August) - Yatsushiro City man and woman in their 20s, came down with fever, noticed impairment in their sense of smell and taste on 3 August. Route of infection unknown. Case 323 (5 August) - Kikuyo Town - Woman in her 20s, co-worker of Case 250. (https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileOutput.ashx?c_id=3&id=32300&sub_id=87&flid=245886)