The surge in novel coronavirus cases has left a growing contingent of infected Tokyoites recuperating at home. As even seemingly asymptomatic and mild cases have been known to deteriorate rapidly, it's imperative that patients and their families closely monitor symptoms, so as to catch any telltale signs before it's too late.
As of Thursday, 16,913 people with COVID-19 were recuperating or self-isolating in the capital.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has compiled a list of precautions for patients undergoing recuperation at home. According to the ministry, symptoms that require urgent action include: a noticeably pale face, sudden breathlessness, chest pain and an irregular pulse. It is important to contact the public health center immediately if such symptoms appear.
Local governments have also been taking measures to cope with the increasing number of people receiving treatment at home.
In Chiyoda Ward, about 120 patients were recovering from the virus at home, double the number seen at the end of July. Starting Wednesday, 22 medical institutions in the ward have been participating in a symptom-monitoring system, set up in cooperation with the local medical association.
When the Chiyoda Public Health Center receives a call from a patient recuperating at home and determines that the patient requires medical attention, the medical institution on-duty at the time will send someone to check in on the patient in person, or else provide medical consultations online or over the phone.
The ward will also harness private sector emergency services to connect patients with outpatient medical care. Oxygen concentrators will be delivered to the homes of patients who need them.
Apart from patients under home treatment, the number of people identified as having close contact with COVID-19 cases has also increased to about 80 in the ward.
Staff at the ward's public health center have been tasked with monitoring the condition of housebound COVID patients and close-contact individuals on a day to day basis. However, if the number of cases continued to climb, the task may soon be too much for the public health center to handle alone. The ward is considering enlisting the help of outside medical professionals in such cases.
"If people become severely ill while recuperating at home, it will lead to a further shortage of hospital beds," said the director of the ward's public health center. "We want to make sure that patients are getting appropriate medical attention even at home."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
