![]() Public health experts want a comprehensive investigation into why infections have dropped off.Īn analysis of GPS data showed that people’s movements in major downtown entertainment districts fell during the most recent, third state of emergency, which ended Sept. “I don’t want to get close to those who don’t wear masks,” said her friend, Alice Kawaguchi. “I’m still worried about the virus,” she said. Mask-wearing “has become so normal,” said university student Mizuki Kawano. Many people are cautious about letting down their guard, regardless of the numbers. On Friday, new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said a preparedness plan to be compiled by early November would include tougher limits on activities and require hospitals to provide more beds and staff for COVID-19 treatment in case infections soar in a “worst-case scenario.” “Looking ahead, it is important to further push down the caseloads in case of a future resurgence of infections,” Wakita said Thursday. Takaji Wakita, director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, told reporters recently he is worried people have already resumed partying in nightlife districts, noting that the slowing of infections may have already hit bottom. Most serious cases and deaths were among unvaccinated people in their 50s or younger. Many experts initially blamed younger people, seen drinking on the streets and in parks when the bars were closed, for spreading the virus, but said data showed many in their 40s and 50s also frequented nightlife districts. Kyoto University professor Hiroshi Nishiura told a recent government advisory board meeting that he estimates vaccinations helped some 650,000 people avoid infection and saved more than 7,200 lives between March and September. To speed up inoculations, former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who left office recently, expanded the number of health workers legally eligible to give shots, opened large-scale vaccination centers and promoted workplace vaccinations beginning in late June. ![]() The emergency requests have ended and the government is gradually expanding social and economic activity while allowing athletic events and package tours on a trial basis using vaccination certificates and increased testing. Many people continued to commute on crowded trains, and attended sports and cultural events at stadiums with some social distancing controls. Japan’s state of emergency measures were not lockdowns but requests that focused mainly on bars and eateries, which were asked to close early and not serve alcohol. Masataka Inokuchi, the Tokyo Medical Association deputy chief, said falling positivity rates show infections have slowed. Though some speculated that the drop in cases might be due to less testing, Tokyo metropolitan government data showed the positivity rate fell from 25% in late August to 1% in mid-October, while the number of tests fell by one-third. “At the same time, people who gather in high-risk environments, such as crowded and less-ventilated places, may have been already infected and acquired natural immunity by now.” “It’s a tough question, and we have to consider the effect of the vaccinations progress, which is extremely big,” said Disease Control and Prevention Center Director Norio Ohmagari. The number of daily shots rose to about 1.5 million in July, pushing vaccination rates from 15% in early July to 65% by early October, exceeding the 57% of the United States. ![]() Shortages of imported vaccines kept progress slow until late May, when the supply stabilized and daily inoculation targets were raised to above 1 million doses to maximize protection before the July 23-Aug. Japan’s vaccinations started in mid-February, with health workers and the elderly first in line. ![]() He cautioned, however, that breakthrough infections in the U.S., Britain and other places where inoculations began months earlier than in Japan show that vaccines alone are not perfect and efficacy gradually wears off. Tateda noted that vaccination rates surged in July to September, just as the more infectious delta variant was spreading fast. Kazuhiro Tateda, a Toho University professor of virology. “Rapid and intensive vaccinations in Japan among those younger than 64 might have created a temporary condition similar to herd-immunity,” said Dr. Nearly 70 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Many credit the vaccination campaign, especially among younger people, for bringing infections down. Biden: Russian threat to invade Ukraine still 'very high'
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