More than 3,000 people infected with the coronavirus in Tokyo had to stay in their homes in the week through Jan. 2 because they were unable to find a place for treatment, according to health ministry data.
"The spread of infections in Tokyo has extended to neighboring municipalities, and the number of newly infected people continued to increase at the end of the year, pushing up the overall number to the highest level [in the nation]," the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry advisory body that mulls countermeasures against the virus said Wednesday.
"The medical system is in a very severe situation, making it hard to arrange hospitalizations," the body said.
A member of the advisory body from a public health center presented data on Tokyo's hospitalization and treatment situation at a meeting.
A total of 745 infected people were on home-standby during the week through Dec. 5 because they could not find a place to receive treatment. The figure more than quadrupled to 3,056 during the week ending Jan. 2.
According to the ministry, 24,667 new infections were recorded nationwide in the week through Monday. Tokyo alone accounted for a quarter of that figure, while Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures accounted for half.
The rapid increase in the number of patients in Tokyo is also affecting medical facilities' ability to accept emergency cases.
According to an analysis by the advisory body, the spread of infections continued because there was no decline in the movement of people through the end of last year. Most of the infections were among people in the 20-59 age bracket, with eating and drinking occasions cited as the main factor, the ministry said.
As a measure to secure the medical system, the ministry emphasized the use of government support measures such as dispatching medical personnel to hospitals that accept coronavirus infected patients and subsidies based on the number of hospital beds secured.
Takaji Wakita, director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and the head of the advisory body, referred to the virus variant confirmed in Britain and other countries, saying, "It does not seem to be affecting the current spread of infections."
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