Apr 15, 2020 (Japan Times) - Day after day, the rising number of new cases of the coronavirus in Tokyo and nationwide is making headlines. But what is even more alarming is the increasing number of instances where authorities can’t track where the patient got it from.
Tracing the source of infection is vital in curbing the outbreak, sparking concerns among medicine and virology experts that the situation in Japan may get out of control like it has in Western countries.
In early April, experts from a government-appointed panel said they were not able to verify where or when patients had contracted the virus in 40 percent of reported cases.
In Tokyo, the figure is ominously higher than the nation’s average. When Tokyo reported a record 197 new coronavirus cases Saturday, 77 percent were cases in which they weren’t able to track down the source of infection.
The same trend has been seen in Fukuoka and Osaka prefectures, which, along with Tokyo and Aichi and Okinawa prefectures, are seeing daily reports where cases of unknown transmission account for somewhere between 50 and 75 percent of the total.
One of the reasons that the source is difficult to track down is some patients’ reluctance to share their whereabouts with authorities before they started having symptoms, said a health ministry official, who did not reveal his identity in line with ministry policy.
Some of them, the government suspects, may have gone to entertainment facilities, including bars, nightclubs and those offering sexual services, thereby explaining their reluctance.
Shortage of staff at public health centers is also a reason behind the rise in unknown chains of transmission.
