Infections with the novel coronavirus continue to spread. To break the chain of infection, efforts must be accelerated to expand the testing system.
The government has so far focused on measures to deal with clusters of new cases, tracking the movement of infected people and identifying people they have been in close contact with. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to confirm cases of infection were conducted only on people who were deemed to need them, such as through consultation services mostly operated by public health centers.
Behind this is the fact that Japan's testing capabilities were initially insufficient. As the number of hospital beds for infected patients was limited, it was feared that hospitals would be flooded with patients with mild symptoms if tests on a wider range of suspected cases resulted in more people testing positive.
The cluster measures have been successful in detecting the spread of infections in entertainment districts at night, among other achievements. However, the number of infected people whose infection route is unknown is rapidly increasing in urban areas, and the country is currently in a situation where infections cannot be stopped only through such measures. The situation can be said to have changed greatly.
It has recently become possible to conduct more than 10,000 tests a day since the addition of private testing agencies has improved testing capabilities. Hotels and other accommodation facilities have been set up, though belatedly, to accommodate people with mild symptoms, and hospitals are establishing a framework in which they can concentrate on treating seriously ill patients.
In light of this, the government should change its policy of limiting who can be tested and actively increase the number of tests performed. The government should work out a "testing and isolation" strategy in which infected people are widely identified and isolated in hotels and their homes.
It is important not to burden hospitals in the process of doing this.
Drive-throughs effective
Collecting a sample for testing by inserting a swab-like tool into a person's nostril takes time and labor. There is an insufficient supply of disposable protective equipment such as high-grade masks, and nosocomial infections can occur. If hospitals conduct all the tests, they will not be able to handle the treatment of the seriously ill patients.
It would be effective to temporarily set up tents in the parking lots of public facilities and elsewhere to collect samples in drive-through tests on people who are deemed to need them by doctors or public health centers. The Niigata municipal government and the Tottori prefectural government have already introduced such systems, and other local governments are considering it.
The central government is encouraged to provide active support, such as dispatching Self-Defense Forces personnel to help local governments that are short of manpower.
If people who want to be tested simply because they are concerned rush to testing sites, the testing system will collapse. It is essential to follow certain procedures for receiving the test, including consultation with a doctor in advance.
Some members of the public complain that they want to be tested but cannot be. The government should thoroughly explain to the public the purpose of the PCR test, which is conducted to identify people who are infected while maintaining the functions of hospitals.
-- The original Japanese article appeared in The Yomiuri Shimbun on April 22, 2020.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
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