A total of about 6,800 beds have been secured by prefectural governments to accommodate patients with the new coronavirus, according to a survey conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun from April 1 to 3.
The figures range from 0.6% to 25.1% of the number needed for worst-case scenarios, as estimated by prefectural governments. Prefectural authorities are trying to secure beds, but it is not an easy task.
All 47 prefectures responded to the survey. Of these 45, excluding Aomori and Fukuoka prefectures, reported the number of beds they had secured at the time of the survey.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has presented prefectural governments with a formula to estimate the number of hospitalized patients per day at the peak of the epidemic, on the presumption no steps had been taken to stem infections. Each prefecture was required to calculate its worst-case numbers and was to expected to improve its medical system with those numbers as a target.
Ishikawa Prefecture, which had secured a relatively high percentage of hospital beds for patients with the virus, had enough for 25.1% of patients in a worst-case scenario. Tottori Prefecture had sufficient beds for 24.3%.
Among the prefectures with the lowest percentages were Hiroshima with 0.6% and Shizuoka with 0.7%.
Under the Infectious Disease Law, infected patients, regardless of the severity of their symptoms, are supposed to be hospitalized in specialized beds at designated medical institutions for infectious diseases. Eighteen prefectures -- including Hokkaido, Tokyo, Kanagawa and Osaka -- have already started accepting patients into general hospitals.
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