Society as a whole must work to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
The government has decided on a basic policy for dealing with pneumonia caused by the virus. In the policy, the government announced that it will decelerate the speed of increase in the number of patients as much as possible.
There have been sporadic clusters of patients around the nation for which the infection route is unknown. A government panel of experts warned that a period of one to two weeks, starting from now, "will be the critical moment" as to whether the infection spreads rapidly or comes to an end.
The policy identifies the distinctive features of the illness as they are currently understood. While there are many cases in which the illness is mild or the patient recovers, the elderly and people with chronic diseases are at high risk of becoming seriously ill, the policy said.
If the number of patients increases rapidly, the nation's medical system could collapse and the treatment of seriously ill patients could be delayed. The central and local governments, as well as medical experts, must share a sense of urgency and work together to implement countermeasures.
The policy encourages people to wash their hands and exercise good manners over coughing, and advises them to refrain from going out if they have cold-like symptoms.
The policy is also urging people to refrain from seeing a doctor out of anxiety when they have a slight cold.
Everyone has a role
If people can protect themselves from infection and avoid transmitting it to others if they are infected, society as a whole can delay the peak of the epidemic and reduce the number of infected people.
The policy proposed that local governments and companies postpone unnecessary and nonurgent events and stagger commutes, among other countermeasures.
It is greatly feared the infection could spread in areas where many people are concentrated, although it is not necessary to refrain from ordinary social activities. It is important that every single person think about what he or she can do to prevent an epidemic.
The government needs to accurately inform the public of the current situation and provide easy-to-understand information to prevent social unrest.
Some experts say that antiviral drugs stockpiled to counter a new type of influenza may also be effective against the pneumonia caused by the virus. Since there is no drug to cure the new illness, clinical research must be carried out as soon as possible while paying attention to side effects.
The government should ask relevant industries to increase the production of masks and disinfectants.
It is important to study preemptive countermeasures in anticipation of a full-scale outbreak of the virus.
It is crucial for each local area to decide in advance on the division of roles to be played by each hospital in the area, and to arrange for the reception of seriously ill patients.
In the event of an outbreak in various parts of the country, the government will likely curtail its efforts to implement measures at the border and track the route of infection, and shift to taking steps to expand the medical system to combat the virus, including accepting patients at general hospitals. A flexible stance of changing the emphasis according to the situation is required.
-- This article appeared in the print version of The Yomiuri Shimbun on Feb. 26, 2020.
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