Society

COVID surge denies dialysis patients hospital care

Jan 29 (NHK) - Doctors in Japan say the recent surge in coronavirus cases is keeping dialysis patients from being hospitalized in Tokyo and elsewhere, even if they have tested positive for the virus.

The situation was reported by a joint committee of the Japanese Association of Dialysis Physicians, the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy, and others.

The committee says the number of people receiving dialysis nationwide while infected with COVID-19 was 16 in the week to January 13. It jumped to 107 in the following week, and 190 in the week through Thursday.

Dialysis patients tend to develop severe symptoms when infected, and should be hospitalized in principle.

In Tokyo, 85 new coronavirus cases were confirmed among those receiving dialysis in the week through Thursday.

By around Tuesday, the approximately 100 hospital beds set aside for dialysis patients in the capital were full. That left more than 10 people outside hospital as of Friday.

Similar cases have been reported in other prefectures, including Kanagawa and Osaka.

The committee says 21.8 percent of dialysis patients confirmed infected with COVID-19 by Thursday had to be administered oxygen.

It says dialysis patients with moderate or no symptoms will likely have to isolate at home and receive dialysis at their regular facilities.

Committee members say it will be necessary to hospitalize dialysis patients who have a high risk of developing serious symptoms ahead of others.

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