As infections with the novel coronavirus once again surge throughout Japan, a growing number of private companies are accelerating efforts to conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and antibody tests on their employees.
These moves are aimed at identifying people who may be infected with the virus at an early stage, in a bid to maintain the balance between economic activities and the implementation of measures to prevent the spread of infections. However, small and midsize companies cannot bear the cost of such tests. The government is urged to take action to lower the expense and improve the accuracy of the tests.
-- Negative certificate
Hitachi, Ltd. has set up a system at its in-house clinic to conduct PCR tests on employees who are planning business trips overseas. Whether someone is infected can be confirmed the day after a doctor takes a sample from their nose and sends it directly to a testing laboratory. The company bears the cost.
At present, Hitachi is limiting overseas business trips to the bare minimum, but as the government has eased restrictions on entry and departure in some cases, the company is preparing for business trips to some countries and regions that require travelers to present certificates on entry verifying they have tested negative for the virus.
Global companies may lose business opportunities if it takes too long to obtain a negative certificate for their employees. Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and major oil wholesaler Eneos Corp. have also begun PCR testing, at their own expense, for employees scheduled to be transferred overseas.
Companies are also taking steps to pay for PCR tests for employees working in Japan. Major paint seller Nippon Paint Holdings Co. has announced that it will conduct saliva-based tests on all employees who want one.
Kansai Electric Power Co. will test the majority of workers participating in regular inspections of the No. 3 reactor at its Oi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture who come from outside the prefecture. In consideration of the anxiety felt by local residents, the company will confirm whether workers are negative before they enter Fukui Prefecture.
Some companies are more focusing on antibody testing.
SoftBank Group Corp., which conducted antibody tests on all of its employees -- more than 60,000 people -- has been urging those who tested positive to get a PCR test at a specialized institute.
"The private sector must also make an effort to help create a society in which we all can live free from anxiety," said SoftBank Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son.
The group announced on Wednesday that it had established a subsidiary dedicated to saliva-based PCR testing. The new company will first test players on the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks baseball team and employees of the group, before extending the testing to other companies that want to use it.
Rizap Group, Inc., which operates gyms and other facilities, has made antibody tests available to about 6,500 trainers who come into contact with gym members.
Private sector efforts to combat COVID-19 are more advanced overseas. In the United States, Amazon.com, Inc. has announced that it will test all of its employees, while Delta Air Lines, Inc. is conducting both PCR and antibody testing on all its staff.
-- Cost, accuracy issues
The cost burden will be an obstacle in expanding PCR testing in Japan. Taking a PCR test conducted by a private entity is estimated to cost from about 20,000 yen to 40,000 yen per person. It is not covered by insurance in principle, so these tests are not widely used by small and midsize companies and the like.
Taking this into consideration, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry has asked the government to provide support to reduce the cost of private PCR testing for business purposes.
The accuracy of PCR tests is believed to be limited, leading to fears that the tests may fail to detect infected people who are asymptomatic, or that people will be found to be infected immediately after they test negative.
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