The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
At-home virus deaths conspicuous in Tokyo
Following the rapid surge in novel coronavirus infections since August, 44 COVID-19 patients in Tokyo are known to have died while staying at home as of Sept. 17.
Most of the deceased had been unvaccinated, and a significant number were in their 30s to 50s.
The death toll in Tokyo has stood out, even when compared to other prefectures that have had a large number of coronavirus patients staying at home during the same period. Experts have called for more hospital beds to be secured and for closer monitoring of the condition of such patients.
SINGLE DIGITS ELSEWHERE
“There has been a succession of patients who died as their condition took a sudden turn for the worse and they were taken to a hospital by ambulance in vain,” a Tokyo metropolitan government official said Friday.
As hospital beds filled up in Tokyo amid the “fifth wave” of infections this summer, the number of patients staying at home reached a high of 26,409 on Aug. 21. The number of deaths among people who were at home has totaled 44 since August, including those who died after they were transported to a hospital by ambulance.
During the fifth wave, the daily count of those staying at home also topped the 10,000 mark in Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Aichi, and Osaka prefectures. Yet, as of Sept. 17, the number of at-home deaths since August stood at nine in Chiba, seven in Saitama, four in Aichi, three in Kanagawa, and one in Osaka — notably less than Tokyo.
UNABLE TO GIVE CARE
Out of the 44 deaths in Tokyo, at least 39 had not been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. Many had a chronic illness, with some suffering from diabetes or obesity — both of which mean an increased risk of developing serious symptoms from the coronavirus.
By age, those in their 30s to 50s accounted for a little over half of the deaths. The virus is also claiming the lives of the young generation.
According to the metropolitan government, not fewer than 10 of the deceased had been living alone. In some cases, there was no record of them having called for an ambulance, before their bodies were found in their homes.
Kazuma Tashiro is the director of Hinata Zaitaku Clinic Sanno, a home-care clinic in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, that has made house calls to check on about 250 patients in central Tokyo. “Patients infected with the delta variant are more likely to develop serious symptoms faster than those infected with other strains. In more than a few of our wellness checks, the patient’s condition had deteriorated without them realizing it, and their lives were narrowly saved,” Tashiro said.
Masataka Inokuchi, deputy chairman of the Tokyo Medical Association, said: “During the fifth wave, the infections spread so rapidly that public health centers tasked with monitoring the condition of patients staying at home became unable to fully handle all the cases, falling into a situation in which they could not give them sufficient care.”
MEASURES IN OSAKA
In Osaka Prefecture, the number of deaths among those who were staying at home totaled 19 during the fourth wave of infections that occurred this spring. Yet, during the fifth wave, there has so far only been one such death.
About the reason behind the decline, Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said, “The biggest [reason] is that we have secured enough hospital beds for seriously ill patients and beefed up our medical care service system.”
During the fourth wave, there had been more seriously ill patients than hospital beds, making it difficult to coordinate the hospitalization of these patients.
As patients at higher risk of developing serious symptoms were left at home, their condition deteriorated further, creating a downward spiral for the health care system.
In light of this, the Osaka prefectural government increased the number of hospital beds for seriously ill patients by a factor of 1.7, thereby making it possible to maintain a system wherein patients in need of swift medical treatment were able to be hospitalized quickly during the fifth wave.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike announced Friday that the metropolitan government will boost its support for patients staying at home, by increasing the number of channels for the “Follow-up Center,” which is tasked with providing health monitoring to these patients, while cooperating with medical associations so that such patients in the capital will be able to receive an online medical examination from doctors. (Published on Sept. 20 in print)
PATIENTS DECREASED
The number of COVID-19 patients recuperating at home stood at about 60,000 nationwide as of Sept. 15, less than half the peak seen on Sept. 1, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
This appears to reflect the decrease in new infections, but the figure is still high, exceeding those seen at the height of the third and fourth waves.
As of Sept. 15, a confirmed 60,532 patients were recuperating at home, compared to 135,859 on Sept. 1. Wednesday’s figure was nearly 1.7 times the third wave peak of 35,394 on Jan. 20, and the fourth wave peak of 34,537 on May 12. The number of newly infected patients has decreased by more than 60% in the past two weeks. (Sept. 21)