Japan hospitals secure more beds for COVID-19

May 13, 2020 | News On Japan

May 13, 2020 (NHK) - A survey by NHK shows less than 80 percent of hospital beds available for coronavirus patients are filled in all Japanese prefectures other than Tokyo, as the number of infections is on the decline.

NHK asked prefectural governments about the numbers of hospital beds and in-patients as of Monday.

It found that about 14,700 hospital beds have been secured nationwide for coronavirus patients, an increase of more than 2,100 from two weeks ago.

The number of hospitalized patients stood at about 4,900, down roughly 1,400.

The number of people recuperating or being quarantined at home or at accommodation facilities totaled about 1,250 in 26 prefectures, down nearly 1,200.

In the previous survey, the number of in-patients and those in need of hospitalization accounted for more than 80 percent of beds available in Tokyo and two other prefectures. This time, only Tokyo exceeded that percentage.

The patients-to-beds ratio topped 50 percent in only two other prefectures -- Hokkaido with roughly 70 percent and Ishikawa with about 60 percent.

Okabe Nobuhiko, Director General of Kawasaki City Institute for Public Health, said that if people's movement increases, the number of patients could rise in areas where fewer cases have been reported, and the number of serious patients could also rise.

The infectious diseases expert suggested that local governments should work with medical institutions to secure enough beds and staff as patients with severe symptoms tend to stay in hospital for long periods.

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