Kirk here. Yesterday, Kumamoto had it’s first new case of COVID-19 in 40 days. At this writing, it hasn’t been determined if the person has the Omicron variant or not.
I heard an interesting segment on NPR about the lull that we’ve been experiencing here in Japan:
The riddle of Japan’s dramatic drop in COVID numbers https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/12/20/1065159384/the-riddle-of-japans-dramatic-drop-in-covid-numbers
One point it raised was that our neighbor Korea is experiencing a surge in cases even though it “has fully vaccinated more than 90% of its adult population. And masking up in public is the norm in that country too.” So, that makes it somewhat difficult to explain why Japan should be so different.
I’m glad that we are getting a bit of a respite here but I’m not counting on it lasting – especially with reports of the local transmission (shichu kansen [市中感染]) of Omicron. It’s probably just a matter of time before cases begin to appear in Kumamoto. So, I’m planning to get a booster shot at my first opportunity and avoid unnecessary risks.
Stay safe as you enjoy the holiday season! https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/kumamoto/20211224/5000014314.html
