Thirteen COVID-19 patients recuperating at home have died since July, with relatively young people accounting for most of these deaths, a Yomiuri Shimbun investigation has found.
The number of people staying home to recuperate in Japan has skyrocketed because of the shortage of hospital beds amid the surge in coronavirus infections in July.
A majority of the deaths were in Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures. Tokyo reported the most deaths -- four -- while Kanagawa Prefecture had three and Saitama Prefecture reported two. Osaka, Tochigi, Aichi and Okinawa prefectures each reported one death.
According to Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry data, 84 COVID-19 patients recuperating at home died between January and June, an average of about 14 per month. Compared with this figure, the number of patients who have died at home in the latest "fifth wave" of infections does not appear especially high.
The total number of deaths, including at places other than at home, averaged about 1,900 per month from January to June. By comparison, about 600 people have died since July 1. While the overall number of deaths has remained lower, the proportion of people who have died while recuperating at home is striking.
Of the 84 people who died at home between January and June, 60 were in their 70s or older. Only one person who died since July was in their 70s, and 10 were in their 40s, 50s or 60s. These statistics suggest that relatively young people have been dying at home in the latest wave of infections.
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