Taipei: The Covid-19 epidemic in Japan has been heating up for nine consecutive weeks as new mutant strains have spread. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of the Japanese government stated that the number of confirmed cases has increased for nine consecutive weeks, and some people believe that the 10th wave of the epidemic has occurred. As new mutant strains with high contagiousness are spreading, experts call on the public not to ignore the epidemic and to continue to take anti-epidemic measures.
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Japan Jiji News Agency reported that in May 2023, the Japanese government had lowered the Covid-19 epidemic prevention level to be equivalent to seasonal influenza.
Therefore, the method of controlling the number of Covid-19 patients has changed from the original case-by-case notification. The results are reported by approximately 5,000 designated medical institutions across Japan.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare stated that the average number of Covid-19 patients reported in the week ending January 21 was 12.23 per medical institution, which was approximately 1.4 times that of the previous week and has continued to increase since late November 2023.
In Ishikawa Prefecture, where many people took refuge in evacuation centres due to the Noto Peninsula earthquake, the average number of people per medical facility was 14.33, about 1.4 times more than the previous week.
The reason behind the rising epidemic is that a new mutant strain that has rapidly expanded overseas since the fall of 2023 has also increased in Japan.
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This new mutant strain is JN.1, which has been further mutated from Omicron’s BA.2.86.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that there are currently no reports that JN.1 is more likely to cause severe illness than other mutant strains.
The WHO and the Institute of Medical Sciences in Japan said that the variant may be highly contagious because its mutations have improved immune escape capabilities.
The virus strain in Japan is rapidly being replaced by JN.1. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases of Japan stated that a private screening agency surveyed 194 specimens from January 1 to 7 and found that JN.1 accounted for about 20 per cent, and it is estimated that the proportion will rise to 43 per cent in early February.
Norio Sugatani, a visiting professor at Japan’s Keio University who specialises in infectious diseases, said that JN.1’s ability to escape immunity seems to be higher.
Although it can be said to be the “10th wave” of the epidemic, the JN.1 expansion may lead to an even greater increase in the number of confirmed cases.
Prof. Sugatani pointed out that based on overseas reports, it is difficult to believe that the number of domestic deaths will increase rapidly due to the spread of JN.1, but he still emphasised that there is a certain degree of risk; hence, the elderly and others must pay more attention.
Prof. Sugatani further said that although influenza seems to have passed its epidemic peak, it is still prevalent.
He hoped that everyone will continue to practice epidemic prevention measures such as wearing masks and washing hands frequently.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
