Japan needs to curb COVID infections among children, elderly: expert
TOKYO. KAZINFORM - Japan needs to reduce infections among children and the elderly to improve the overall COVID-19 situation, an infectious disease specialist said Friday, as the highly contagious Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in the country, Kyodo reports.
Japan's daily COVID-19 cases exceeded 100,000 for the first time the previous day, pushing the cumulative total to 3 million, while 34 of Japan's 47 prefectures remain under a COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency.
«The number of novel coronavirus cases is starting to decline among young generations, but unless we see a downtrend among children and elderly people, the overall figures will not decline,» said Takaji Wakita, who heads a group of experts advising the health ministry on its pandemic response, as he attended a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting as a witness.
As infections spread at nurseries and elsewhere, health minister Shigeyuki Goto said in a press conference that the country should «push forward» with encouraging children to wear face masks.
Wakita, head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, also called for flexible management of hospital beds as a surge in COVID-19 patients with serious symptoms has made it difficult for other people to be admitted to hospital.
Regarding the country's vaccination drive, Wakita underscored the importance of facilitating booster shots as part of measures against different coronavirus variants.
The session was held as the ruling and opposition camps are seeking to hear expert opinions on the coronavirus response and vaccinations as well as employment and measures to help people affected by the pandemic.