Feb 01 (NHK) - As daily infections continue to rise in Japan, healthcare workers are struggling to deal with growing numbers of patients, especially those who are elderly or have underlying issues.
Health officials in Tokyo reported 11,751 new cases on Monday. The figure topped the 10,000 mark for the first time on a Monday.
The occupancy rate of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients has soared to 49.2 percent.
More than half the country's prefectures including Tokyo are under quasi-emergency measures.
Tokyo's governor said she will consider asking the central government to issue a full state of emergency if the occupancy rate reaches 50 percent.
Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said, "In addition to the hospital occupancy rate, we have to assess the effect of the quasi-emergency measures already in place in the capital in order to make a comprehensive decision. At this point, the government is not considering declaring a state of emergency."
Doctors at a Tokyo hospital say two weeks ago it had no coronavirus patients over the age of 60. But now, a third of them are seniors.
They say one elderly patient's symptoms are mild but the person's underlying lung condition has worsened.
Director Sagara Hironori of Showa University said, "The symptoms of the Omicron variant are not so severe, but we have seen a growing number of patients' underlying conditions deteriorate."
Sagara said he expects the bed occupancy rate to surpass 60 percent soon.
To tackle the Omicron surge, the government is trying to expedite vaccinations.
In addition to inoculation centers at municipalities, Self-Defense Forces on Monday started a vaccine campaign for booster shots in the capital.
As of Sunday, just over 4 million people had gotten a third jab. That's less than 30 percent of those eligible by the end of January.
The SDF is set to open a similar site in the western city of Osaka next Monday and will begin accepting reservations on Friday.
