Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Image : After the state of emergency was lifted throughout Japan, people were still careful to prevent epidemic when they went out. The diners who dine at the Osaka Izakaya the day before yesterday put on protective masks, so that they and their companions can eat happily and safely. (Reuters)
Japan neither locks its cities down nor conducts large-scale coronavirus detection but it can effectively control the epidemic. What is Japan’s successful experience? Experts are puzzled.
World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the regular epidemic press conference on 25 May 2020 positively evaluated the Japanese government's "success" in the fight against epidemics.
Japan this week announced that the state of emergency ended early, the epidemic curve has flattened, and the number of new cases has been reduced to dozens. Compared with European and American countries, from the peak number of new infections per 100,000 people during the week, there are about 66 people in the United States, about 65 people in Italy, about 48 people in Germany, and only 3 people in Japan.
The death toll from covid in Japan is also well below 1,000, the lowest among the seven industrialized countries.
The government does not force businesses such as restaurants and hairdressers to close down, nor has it launched a mobile app to track people ’s whereabouts. Japan also does not have a disease control center. When other countries are busy carrying out large-scale virus testing, the Japanese testing population is only 0.2%.
What has Japan done to avoid the outbreak of the epidemic by neither closing the city nor conducting extensive testing? This topic has triggered a national discussion.
Only one point of view is unanimously recognized: there is no single solution, and it relies on comprehensive factors.
Bloomberg quoted a member of the virus public advisory group and a professor at Waseda University as reporting, "Even experts don't know the reason."
But he judged that because political leaders lacked effective leadership, medical experts could stand on the front lines, which is the best way to deal with emergency public health incidents.
The Japanese media quoted a widely circulated list of "43 reasons for successful anti-epidemic", with various statements. These include the Japanese culture of wearing masks, the low obesity rate of Japanese people, and the rapid closure of schools in Japan. Another imaginative statement is that compared to other languages, there is less aerosol spray when speaking Japanese. Others praised the governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, for being a good leader, saying that she likes the “Mama Sang” of the Ginza nightclub on TV every day.
Some people explained from the perspective of national habits that Japanese people emphasize hygiene, do not like to embrace, and even lack enthusiasm for sex, which effectively reduces the "three secrets" contact.
It is also said that the coronavirus spread in Japan may be different from other countries and less destructive. In addition, the outbreak of the Diamond Princess cruise ship infection in February provided experts with valuable data so that they could better grasp the transmission route of the virus.
Over 25,000 nurses have extensive experience in tracking contact with infected persons
Experts believe that a crucial factor is that the grass-roots level of public health work in Japan is alert to the epidemic. Although the central government has been slow to fight the epidemic, the grassroots began tracking contacts as soon as the first confirmed case was announced in January.
The Japan Public Health Center employed more than 25,000 nurses in 2018, and its main job is to track contacts of influenza and tuberculosis patients, so it has extensive experience in tracking contacts of infected persons.
Professor Suzuki of Hokkaido University said that the tracking system uses a non-digital analog method, which is different from the mobile phone application used in Singapore, "but very effective." With this tracking system, experts can identify infected groups earlier and prevent the spread of the epidemic.
Suzuki also believes that calling people to go to "three secrets" less is more practical and effective than maintaining social distance, which allows people to live a normal social life.
However, public opinion has questioned that the Japanese government may have failed to grasp the actual situation of the epidemic due to insufficient testing.
In March 2020, a Tokyo hospital tested people who did not have symptoms of covid, and found that 7 per cent of people were infected, showing that asymptomatic people may become the source of outbreaks. In addition, authorities conducted antibody tests on 500 people and found that the epidemic may be 20 times more severe than the numbers indicated.
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Image : After the state of emergency was lifted throughout Japan, people were still careful to prevent epidemic when they went out. The diners who dine at the Osaka Izakaya the day before yesterday put on protective masks, so that they and their companions can eat happily and safely. (Reuters)
Japan neither locks its cities down nor conducts large-scale coronavirus detection but it can effectively control the epidemic. What is Japan’s successful experience? Experts are puzzled.
World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the regular epidemic press conference on 25 May 2020 positively evaluated the Japanese government's "success" in the fight against epidemics.
Japan this week announced that the state of emergency ended early, the epidemic curve has flattened, and the number of new cases has been reduced to dozens. Compared with European and American countries, from the peak number of new infections per 100,000 people during the week, there are about 66 people in the United States, about 65 people in Italy, about 48 people in Germany, and only 3 people in Japan.
The death toll from covid in Japan is also well below 1,000, the lowest among the seven industrialized countries.
The government does not force businesses such as restaurants and hairdressers to close down, nor has it launched a mobile app to track people ’s whereabouts. Japan also does not have a disease control center. When other countries are busy carrying out large-scale virus testing, the Japanese testing population is only 0.2%.
What has Japan done to avoid the outbreak of the epidemic by neither closing the city nor conducting extensive testing? This topic has triggered a national discussion.
Only one point of view is unanimously recognized: there is no single solution, and it relies on comprehensive factors.
Bloomberg quoted a member of the virus public advisory group and a professor at Waseda University as reporting, "Even experts don't know the reason."
But he judged that because political leaders lacked effective leadership, medical experts could stand on the front lines, which is the best way to deal with emergency public health incidents.
The Japanese media quoted a widely circulated list of "43 reasons for successful anti-epidemic", with various statements. These include the Japanese culture of wearing masks, the low obesity rate of Japanese people, and the rapid closure of schools in Japan. Another imaginative statement is that compared to other languages, there is less aerosol spray when speaking Japanese. Others praised the governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, for being a good leader, saying that she likes the “Mama Sang” of the Ginza nightclub on TV every day.
Some people explained from the perspective of national habits that Japanese people emphasize hygiene, do not like to embrace, and even lack enthusiasm for sex, which effectively reduces the "three secrets" contact.
It is also said that the coronavirus spread in Japan may be different from other countries and less destructive. In addition, the outbreak of the Diamond Princess cruise ship infection in February provided experts with valuable data so that they could better grasp the transmission route of the virus.
Over 25,000 nurses have extensive experience in tracking contact with infected persons
Experts believe that a crucial factor is that the grass-roots level of public health work in Japan is alert to the epidemic. Although the central government has been slow to fight the epidemic, the grassroots began tracking contacts as soon as the first confirmed case was announced in January.
The Japan Public Health Center employed more than 25,000 nurses in 2018, and its main job is to track contacts of influenza and tuberculosis patients, so it has extensive experience in tracking contacts of infected persons.
Professor Suzuki of Hokkaido University said that the tracking system uses a non-digital analog method, which is different from the mobile phone application used in Singapore, "but very effective." With this tracking system, experts can identify infected groups earlier and prevent the spread of the epidemic.
Suzuki also believes that calling people to go to "three secrets" less is more practical and effective than maintaining social distance, which allows people to live a normal social life.
However, public opinion has questioned that the Japanese government may have failed to grasp the actual situation of the epidemic due to insufficient testing.
In March 2020, a Tokyo hospital tested people who did not have symptoms of covid, and found that 7 per cent of people were infected, showing that asymptomatic people may become the source of outbreaks. In addition, authorities conducted antibody tests on 500 people and found that the epidemic may be 20 times more severe than the numbers indicated.
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