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Joe Tomei here with another update from the JET prefectural advisors, Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott.
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Here some more updates for today:
・Additional case in Kumamoto (33 total cases in Kumamoto Prefecture)
The new case (Case 33) is a female company manager/executive in her 60s in the Aso Area, who is the mother of Case 31 (male company manager/executive in his 40s in the Aso Area). She received a PCR test on April 15th which came back positive. She complained of discomfort in her throat after showing symptoms of coughing and a runny nose on the 12th, but is thought to be a mild case. She has not traveled or left the Aso Area in the two weeks before the onset of symptoms. Her husband, who lives together with her, was tested and came back negative on the 15th.
There is more information on Case 32 from Kita-ku, mentioned briefly in the previous email. According to Kumamoto City, he is a taxi driver who complained of fatigue and treated at his home on the 11th, but his symptoms worsened. He was transported by ambulance on the 14th, and administered a PCR test on the 15th, which came back positive. His is a moderately severe case, requiring the administration of oxygen. He did not go to work in the three days preceding the onset of his symptoms, but did take one passenger on the 11th. The route of infection is unknown.
In other news, authorities have come to the conclusion that no hospital-acquired infection has occurred at Kuma Hospital in Hitoyoshi. Kumamoto Prefecture says that all 165 tests performed on patients and doctors who potentially came in contact with the infected doctor were negative.
Read more here:
https://this.kiji.is/623119076716790881?c=92619697908483575
・Government-provided cloth masks begin arriving in Kumamoto
Cloth masks have begun to reach facilities for persons with disabilities and facilities for the elderly in Kumamoto Prefecture. An after-school day service in Kita-ku, Kumamoto City received the masks and distributed them to the kids. The masks are smaller than a general non-fabric mask. Despite some people questioning the effectiveness of the filter, when asked, the manager of the Kitako after-school day service said "Lack of masks will continue... it's better than no distribution." https://this.kiji.is/623142396424635489?c=92619697908483575
・Tokyo: Increasing number of emergency patients turned down by hospitals
NHK has reported that in there is an increasing number of incidents in which multiple hospitals refuse patients transported by ambulances in Tokyo. In one case, a patient who had symptoms that could potentially have been caused by COVID-19 (fever or respiratory distress, etc.) was refused admission by over 110 medical institutions, waiting over 10 hours before being admitted to a hospital over 40 km from his home.
According to the Tokyo Fire Department and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, in March there were over 931 cases in which patients being transported in ambulances were either refused by 5 or more hospitals, or waited over 20 minutes before finding a hospital to admit them. This is 33% higher than the number of reported cases during the same period last year. In addition, between 1 April and 11 April alone, there were over 830 such cases.
The article goes on to quote the Vice-Chairman of the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Association, as well as a physician named Dr. Fumie Harada who works at a hospital in Taito-ku, who both suggest that the reason is that many hospitals are not sufficiently prepared to handle patients with infectious diseases, and are therefore not admitting patients suspected of being infected out of fear that they would be unable to prevent an outbreak at their hospitals.
To improve the situation, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is currently considering implementing a system in which all emergency patients with suspected COVID-19 symptoms are first sent to a Returnee/Virus Contact Consultation Center, given a PCR test on the spot, and then sent on to different hospitals depending on the test result.
Full article and video clip here: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200415/k10012389101000.html
【新型コロナ】熊本県内の感染確認３３人に 阿蘇郡市の会社役員の母親 ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本市と県は１５日、同市北区の６０代の男性タクシー運転手と、阿蘇保健所管内（阿蘇郡市）の６０代の女性...
Joe Tomei here, another CoVID update from Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott
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Hello Kumamoto,
Here are some additional updates for today:
・Additional cases in Kumamoto (32 total cases in Kumamoto Prefecture)
Two additional case have been confirmed since our last update. One (case 31) is a male company manager/executive in his 40s in the Aso Area. He reported his recent medical history and symptoms as follows: On 3 April, he began experiencing impairment to his sense of smell and taste. The next day, he had a cough and went to a medical clinic. On 8 April, he had a temperature of 39.5℃, and visited the same clinic again the next day. On the 10th, he went to the same hospital again, where he was confirmed to have pneumonia, and from that day he stopped going to work. Based on the decision made by the clinician in charge of his case, he was referred for a PCR test through the Aso Health Centre. In the two week period following the initial emergence of symptoms, the patient continued going to work. Although he sometimes did not wear a mask, he did wear a mask during meetings. He is thought to have been in contact with 2 family members and 5 other colleagues. https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileOutput.ashx?c_id=3&id=32300&sub_id=7&flid=231719
The second (case 32) is of a male in his 60s in Kita-ku. Further details are yet to be released. https://this.kiji.is/623037048256136289
Cases 28, 29 and 30 (No 22, 23, and 24 for Kumamoto City), which we mentioned in the last update, have been confirmed to be connected with one another. Both men living in Chuo-ku reportedly worked together with the Nishi-ku woman in her 20s whose infection came to light on 13 April. https://kumanichi.com/news/1428842/
・Multilingual information offered by Kumamoto Prefecture
The Kumamoto Prefectural Government is currently working on expanding the availability of information on COVID-19 in languages other than Japanese. General public health guidance, news about new cases, and information about financial support for individuals and businesses are being posted to the official website of both the Kumamoto Prefectual Government and the prefecturally-run Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents. Here are links to the available information:
① Q&A on COVID-19 - currently available in French, Korean and Vietnamese https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/hpkiji/pub/List.aspx?c_id=3&class_set_id=1&class_id=7061
② Information about COVID-19 in Kumamoto - currently available in English only
http://www.kuma-koku.jp/support-center/page156.html
Contains information on all confirmed cases in Kumamoto, info on consultation centres for workers/employment adjustment subsidies, subsidies for parents and guardians of elementary school students, support options for single parents, human rights support, immigration information, etc.
・Worst-case scenario projection made public by member of Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare's Cluster Task Force
Professor Hiroshi Nishiura of Hokkaido University, member of the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare's Cluster Task Force, explained the projection of a worst-case scenario for Japan if the country does not take measures to prevent the spread of infection. Nishiura explained that according to the task force's projections, if no measures are taken, the number of serious cases requiring ventilators would peak 60 days from now, with serious cases totalling 850,000 (200,000 between the ages of 15 and 64, and 650,000 over the age of 65). Nishiura explains that there are currently 13,000 ventilators available in Japan, which is about 1.5% of the total number required for the worst-case scenario. The projections assume that around half of all serious cases would result in death, meaning a total of 410,000 would be expected to die from COVID-19 in Japan if no measures at all were taken to prevent the spread of infection. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200415/k10012387961000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_003
・Public apology by Vice-Governor
Vice-Governor Tajima made a public apology for forwarding false information claiming to come from within the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Tokyo. The Vice-Governor received the message from a friend over the LINE messaging app and forwarded the LINE message to management within the kencho, which spread throughout the prefecture. https://this.kiji.is/622929671866762337
In fact, we have also received LINE chain-mail messages from various sources including such false information as "hot water kills the virus so take a hot bath and drink warm water". In addition to hoax information, scams that are taking advantage of the situation have also been reported. Please beware of any text messages, emails and phone calls you receive. (e.g. receiving a suspicious call from someone claiming to be a city official, phone calls from the government telling you to go to a specific place for disinfection, suspicious mask sales advertisement emails, messages claiming that someone will send you free masks, etc.)
・Governor Kabashima agrees to a 30% pay cut
Governor Kabashima has decided to take a 30% pay cut in recognition of the economic difficulty people are facing in the prefecture. The two vice-governors are also taking a 20% salary decrease. At the national level, MPs are also making arrangements to cut their remuneration by 20 per cent for at least one year. https://this.kiji.is/622990079876023393
Joe Tomei here. This was shared with me, some information cartoons about CoVID
https://nusmedicine.nus.edu.sg/medias/news-info/2233-the-covid-19-chronicles?fbclid=IwAR0aYvD4TZQhALcujOIntY1c-kcj0798K3sfOxIErwzEGVCExN4-dPLkX7s
Along with their Japanese translations
http://jstm.gr.jp/news/covid-19%e3%82%af%e3%83%ad%e3%83%8b%e3%82%af%e3%83%ab/?fbclid=IwAR3crt9DgPEgnqyelFyIJ97615C2HWFQVVfuSxJOo0BfLHWNPTRtm1e-_hI
A lot of new vocabulary floating around, so this may be of interest to people on the list.
Joe Tomei here, a group for restaurants doing takeout in this time of social distancing
https://www.facebook.com/groups/rooting.for.kumamoto.food/
Japanese, but the automatic facebook translation should get you sorted.
Hi friends.
Sorry for my poor English explanation.
But I think if education center and schools have given the documents written in English, i don't need to have and share such a poor explanation.
It's also a kind of suggest for our need.
The new education age seems to come in Japan too.
The changing might be slowly, unfortunately.
Just Be curious, Challenge, EnjoyーAtsuko(*Ü*) https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=879718539107725&id=100012087617313?sfnsn=mo
Joe Tomei here, passing on the email update from JET advisors (Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott) at kencho. My sincere thanks to them.
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●Three additional cases in Kumamoto City
Three additional cases have been reported in Kumamoto City, two today and one yesterday. Today’s cases are two males, both residing in Chuo-ku, one in their 40s and the other in their 30s. https://kumanichi.com/news/1428800/
On Monday, 13 April a woman in her 20s living in Nishi-ku and employed in the dining/hospitality sector tested positive. An investigation into her recent movements and contacts is ongoing. https://this.kiji.is/622319828012876897?c=92619697908483575
The total number of confirmed cases in Kumamoto is now 30.
●Patients and staff at Kuma Hospital test negative for COVID-19
Kumamoto Prefecture has been conducting tests on the people suspected of being in contact with the male physician employed at Kuma Hospital, who tested positive over the weekend. All 154 people who were suspected of being in contact have been tested, and all have been negative. The prefecture is now investigating whether or not there are any remaining contacts who need to be tested. https://this.kiji.is/622688757866906721
●Kumamoto City close to running out of specialised beds for severe cases
At a press conference on 13 April, Mayor Onishi said that medical facilities designated for handling patients with infectious diseases in Kumamoto City are almost at full capacity (currently, all confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Kumamoto are still being treated at government-designated facilities and not in the general medical system/privately run hospitals and clinics).
The city classifies patients into four categories; "asymptomatic", "mild", "moderate" and "severe". There are currently a total of 8 specialised beds with intensive care capability to be used for severely and moderately ill patients. However, as of March 13, a total of 6 people, including one outside the city, are being treated in these beds. (Mild or asymptomatic patients are currently being accommodated separately, with 28 beds available.)
Mayor Onishi explained to the public that as the designated facilities are currently operating at their limit, it will be very difficult to respond if new severe cases come to light. There have been 22 confirmed cases in the city (28 for the prefecture as a whole). In the city, 3 are classified as severe, 2 moderate, 5 mild, and 7 asymptomatic. Four have been discharged and one death has been reported so far. https://this.kiji.is/622612589509117025?c=92619697908483575
●On the situation in other parts of the country
Tokyo has seen an increasing confirmed cases in one week since the national government declared a state of emergency. Cases have been confirmed across a broad spectrum of society, including judo and sumo wrestlers, TV newscasters and recently, the family of a Japanese Member of Parliament, who happen to live in official housing provided to members of the House of Representatives.
Particularly concerning are the large numbers of hospital outbreaks, as well as outbreaks at elderly care centres which are currently coming to light across the country. You can read an article in English about this here: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13293873
One particular hospital in Tokyo located near Ueno Station called "Eiju General Hospital" which describes itself as "a regional flagship hospital" reported over 160 cases in a mass breakout at the hopsital, and 20 patients have died. A public apology has been posted on their official website. https://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newseye3953699.html
Nakano Egota Hospital, also in Tokyo, is reporting 92 cases. http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13293542
Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare's Nationwide Hospital Map
Some hospitals and clinics caught up in the situation are limiting or shutting down new patient intake. The government has released a map of hospitals across the country and their situation with respect to patient intake. https://cio.go.jp/hosp_monitoring_c19
Using this map you can confirm which hospitals are operating as usual, have introduced restrictions on patient intake, or have closed all new intake entirely. Hospitals that have not responded are in grey. Here is a screenshot of the map surrounding Kumamoto City:
[attached below]
State of emergency business closures in effect:
After being implemented in Tokyo earlier this week, official requests for business closures have now been implemented in all 7 prefectures where a state of emergency was called, including Fukuoka, which largely follow the same agreement which was reached between the national government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. In Fukuoka, from today until 6 May, over 12,000 non-essential business are expected to close, including cabarets, bars, internet cafes, karaoke boxes, gyms, pools and sports clubs, pachinko parlours, game centres, theatres and cinemas, exhibition halls, museums, and libraries.
Where the state of emergency applies, business hours for restaurants, izakaya and cafes are restricted from 5:00 am to 8:00 pm, except for home delivery and take-out services. Izakaya may only serve drinks for one hour, between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200413/k10012384221000.html
One of my wife's students is here. She is 13; her father is a doctor and her mother a nurse. Her parents are so busy that no one is able to look after her house, so she hasn't taken a bath for a few days.
My thoughts go out to those on the front lines - and to their families. - William
Japan is composed of a spine of volcanoes extending from the sea south of Kagoshima to northern Honshu. This is due to complicated interactions between the Pacific, Philippine, North American, and Eurasian plates upon which Japan floats. Mount Kimpo is a granite monolith located just south of the castle - in fact, it is where the castle's rocks were quarried. It is a dormant volcano - imagine if it erupted again! - lying between the active Unzen and Aso volcanoes. Sort of like a mini-Aso, it has a caldera which is heavily cultivated with grapes and citrus. Now is a good time to visit. You can take a bus from Kotsu Center to Touge Pass (Tougenochaya Kouen - 峠の茶屋公園) and then hike to the peak from there - it is a most pleasant walk. The view from night is particularly spectacular. - William
Joe Tomei. This last one is a good explanation about what is happening in Fukuoka. I'd just observe that Kumamoto has much less public transport than Fukuoka, which possibly may account for the slower spread. Unfortunately, if that is the case, it will not be preventative, it will simply have us climbing the exponential rise later. Again, thanks to the Prefectural Advisors for the Kumamoto JETS, Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott, for allowing me to share these.
●Some additional comments about Fukuoka
Fukuoka was one of the prefectures in which a state of emergency now applies, and since it is so near to Kumamoto we think it's worth taking some time to talk about the situation in Fukuoka in a bit more detail.
Many people have wondered why Fukuoka was included when places such as Hokkaido and Aichi were not, despite Hokkaido and Aichi having higher total numbers. At a press conference last night, the head of the government's coronavirus advisory committee Shigeru Omi gave a clear explanation of why he recommended the inclusion of Fukuoka.
The reason is that although the cumulative number of cases is higher in Aichi and Hokkaido, the recent rate of increase in Fukuoka is much higher. In a one week period, cases in Aichi and Hokkaido increased 1.4 times and 1.1 times respectively, whereas in Fukuoka the rate of increase over the same period was 6.2 times. Stated in other terms, in Fukuoka, the time it took for the the number of cases to double was the shortest in the whole country, at 2.9 days as of 6 April. The proportion of cases for which the route of infection is unknown in Fukuoka is also the highest in the country, at 72%.
Read more about this (in Japanese):
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASN4735VYN46TIPE03B.html
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200407/k10012373831000.html
In a press conference yesterday the Governor of Kumamoto said that he is taking these developments very seriously. Governor Kabashima asked people in Kumamoto to avoid travel to any of the prefectures for which a state of emergency was declared, including Fukuoka. He also asked people living in those areas not to return to Kumamoto at this time, underlying the importance of minimizing our movements and social interactions to curb the spread of the virus.
緊急事態宣言、なぜ福岡も？ 愛知より感染者少ないのに：朝日新聞デジタル
感染者数が全国で9番目（5日深夜現在）の福岡県にも緊急事態宣言が出される。背景には、1週間（3月30日～4月5日）で累計感染者数が6倍超に急増したことがあるとみられる。 朝日新聞の集計で5日時点の累…
Joe Tomei again, with a clip from the JET advisories
●Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare LINE Collaboration Survey
You may have received a notice on your mobile phone in the LINE application to participate in a survey about your recent health. The results of the first survey has been released by the government. Nationwide, around 27,000 LINE users reported having a fever of 37.5 degrees Celsius lasting for more than 4 days. The rate of fever among people work in the sales and hospitality industry was about twice the national average. By prefecture, Okinawa was the highest, followed by Tokyo, Hokkaido, and Osaka, which all exceeded the national average.
https://news.nicovideo.jp/watch/nw7008657
Joe Tomei here. I've just gotten some of the updates sent out to JET participants by the Prefectural Advisors. Rather than post them all here, I'll just pick out some sections, but in the future, I'll try to pass them on here. This first one is about being encouraged not to eat out and here are some options for take out and delivery.
●Take-out and delivery food options
With the PM's request to avoid eating out in mind, here are some websites where you can find take-out/delivery.
Takeout2020: Lists restaurants in Kumamoto which have begun providing take-out. You can place your order over the phone and pick-up at the restaurant. It includes a wide variety of options not only in Kumamoto City but also some in Tamana, Kikuchi, Yamaga, Yatsushiro, Kuma, Amakusa and Uto.
http://kumamoto.takeout2020.net/
Demae Can (https://demae-can.com/) and Rakuten Delivery (https://delivery.rakuten.co.jp/): Input your area to find local pizza/bento delivery options. Demae Can delivery drivers are also taking some special coronavirus measures, including gargling, temperature checking, alcohol disinfecting, mask wearing etc (read more: https://corporate.demae-can.com/pr/news/demaekan/post_500.html)
Kirk again. I just posted about low testing levels in Japan.
Here's an article about such concerns -- though the specific issues I brought up in my previous post are not all addressed.
It's also true that the US embassy has expressed concern about the lack of testing:
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200404/p2a/00m/0in/014000c
When I first heard that I laughed, thinking it was the pot calling the kettle black. It's true that the US government is no paragon of virtue in regard to its pandemic response but, after studying the matter a bit more, I think they may have a point in regard to testing levels here.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/japans-sudden-spike-coronavirus-cases-tokyo-olympics-postponement/story?id=70041840
Japan's sudden spike in coronavirus cases after Tokyo Olympics postponement raises eyebrows
The sharp rise in cases and deaths has prompted speculations that Japan had previously understated the scope of its coronavirus outbreak.
Hi! Kirk here. I hope what I'm about to say doesn't cause excessive concern but I think that at least moderate concern is warranted regarding the low levels of COVID-19 testing in Japan.
If you go to the Wikipedia article on COVID-19 testing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_testing
you can scroll down to see how Japan's testing levels compare with those of other countries. They are quite low. Even the United States has managed to test lots of people, though their slow start was pointed to as one cause of the current catastrophe there.
If I had only been paying attention to the Japanese media, I don't think I would have become concerned about testing levels because the issue doesn't come up much on the Japanese news shows I watch. It was listening to news reports from the U.S. that got me thinking about how many tests were being conducted.
I suspect that much of the media here is actually avoiding the issue -- not wanting to cause concern by criticizing the government's approach. Here's one example. YAMANAKA Shinya is a highly respected stem cell researcher and a winner of the Nobel Prize. The Japanese media is usually pretty good about covering him but, for some reason, much (not all, of course) of the media seems to be ignoring his calls for more testing. If you search for news articles about him in English you may find this article about his research but nothing about his calls for more PCR tests for the new corona virus:
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Science/Yamanaka-to-distribute-iPS-cells-for-testing-this-year
The Japanese government has said they will increase testing:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/04/09/national/science-health/drive-thru-services-japan-coronavirus/
Still, I'm concerned that, for whatever reason, Japan has been lax about testing and that that may not bode well for the future.
But I'm still glad to be here and not in my country of origin, the USA. The low numbers of deaths means that the situation here is a good deal better than that in most of the US.
https://scienceportal.jst.go.jp/news/newsflash_review/newsflash/2020/04/20200408_01.html
2020年4月8日ニュース「徹底的なPCR検査を強く求める 山中伸弥教授が5つの提言」 | SciencePortal
2020年4月8日ニュース「徹底的なPCR検査を強く求める 山中伸弥教授が5つの提言」最新の科学技術情報を伝えるポータルサイト。サイエンスポータルが独自に編集した科学技術関連ニュースをご紹介します。
The castle will be illuminated on two nights, April 14th and 16th. A good place to watch might the the promenade along Tsuboi River. Just remember social distancing. - William
熊本城、終夜ライトアップ 地震４年の１４、１６日 復興、感染防止の願い込め ｜ 熊本日日新聞
熊本市は熊本地震の前震と本震から丸４年となる１４、１６の両日、被災した熊本城天守閣を一晩中ライトアッ...
Joe Tomei here. With the current situation concerning CoVID19, I'd like to invite some people who would like to post about developments in Japan in general and Kumamoto in particular. We'd especially like people who could bring attention to Japanese announcements and information with rough translations. They need not be in perfect English. If you are interested, please send me a message. Thanks
Joe Tomei here. I hope everyone is coping with the current situation. I just joined a facebook group that might be of interest to people here,
コロナ支援・訳あり商品情報グループ
The group is in Japanese, and it is various business concerns that have food that is not being used because of the current situation. All in Japanese, but I know we have a number of people who can navigate this. I'm hoping that here in Kumamoto, we don't have people in as serious a situation as in places where an emergency has been declared, but if there are Kumamoto businesses that are in a similar situation, they may want to advertise here.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/248092736319363/
Kumanichi has a special edition to mark the fourth anniversary of the quakes, "I cannot forget that day (it was actually night)." I remember grabbing my dog and navigating through the fallen furniture to the outside and, for the first time in my life, falling into the buzz hive, just following people to the local high school. After securing my dog, I returned home three times to get me three tents - one, I set up for the elderly; the second, for mothers and children; and my smallest for a pregnant woman with a young child. (I slept with my dog in the one for the elderly.)
Do you have memories of that night? Please share them. -William
「あの日」を忘れない 熊本地震から4年 14日付に別刷り特集 | 紙面先取り | 熊日の紙面紹介 | 熊本日日新聞社
14日付朝刊と一緒に、別刷りの「熊本地震４年特集」をお届けします。地震で自宅が全壊し、曲折をへて自宅再建を果たした益城町の家族を取材。今も苦悩や不安を抱える被災者たちの声、阿蘇の復興を考える座談会、地....
The Yabe basin, hugging the Kumumoto-Oita border, has for centuries been a location of extreme agricultural fertility - the soil is rich, and water flows everywhere (disclaimer: my mother-in-law is from Yabe, while my father-in-law is from Tomochi, and the former looked down at the latter in two ways).
The question was how to access this basin from the city. Eventually, a series of stone bridges were constructed to facilitate transportation. In fact, 96% of arched brides in all of Japan is distributed in Kyushu, and about half of them are in Kumamoto. (This apparently is due to the Kumamoto-born founder of Taneyama Masonry, Rinichi Fujiwara, who learned the concept of pi). They still exist. Some are large and some are small, but if you follow the rivers up to Yabe, green-colored signs will navigate you. Our friend Yoshiko Toyama provided a beautiful photograph of one. - William
Apparently, someone thought it would be a good idea to make gold and silver medallions of Kumamon. For some reason, they're linked with the Cook Islands, a self-governing island country in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand. Perhaps Kumamon is actually Polynesian. - William
