Message from the Mayor on COVID-19 response to the rise in cases (2022.8.3)
Last updated date：2022/8/4
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I will now present a report on the current COVID-19 situation. I will speak briefly on the listed topics.
First, regarding the occupancy rate of hospital beds: as of July 1, we added 26 additional beds to the 875 already secured for a total of 901 beds. Of that number, 101 of these, or about 1 of every 9 beds, are reserved for patients with severe symptoms. As of August 2, about 75% of all beds are in use. 16 of the 101 beds are currently occupied by severely ill patients, or about 16%. However, this blue wavy line tracks the number of new infections, which has reached a record number for Yokohama. On August 2, 6,990 new cases were identified. There are 679 people currently hospitalized, and 16 of those patients are experiencing severe symptoms, making up 2% of the total.
Incidentally, the highest number of people hospitalized during the sixth wave was on February 12. At that time, 714 people were hospitalized, of which 39 were seriously ill, or about 5% of total cases. In comparison, severe illness accounted for 14% of cases during the fifth wave, and 14% during the third wave.
While the city’s call center added more operators, the number of calls per day now exceeds 8,000, and the response rate is only 53%. During the sixth wave, the response rate sometimes fell below 20%, and as a result it was sometimes difficult to connect. Recently, however, most connections go through by either the first or second call, and at times 80-90% of initial calls connect depending on the time of day. We will continue to strive to maintain a high response rate to connect callers with operators and efficiently provide answers and information to residents.
A genome analysis of 55 local samples collected in July found that the BA.5 variant accounted for 46 of the 55 cases. The BA.1 variant did not appear in the results, BA.4 was identified in just 1 case, and BE.1, a sub-variant of BA.5, was detected in two cases.
As the press has reported, the genome analysis confirms that the BA.5 variant has quickly overtaken the others as the predominant Omicron variant.
With the rising number of new cases, outpatient clinics for fever have conveyed that they are under pressure, so we have begun a prompt, flexible distribution of antigen testing kits. First, 300,000 kits will be distributed to medical institutions, of which 50,000 have been sent out. About 1,000 outpatient clinics will be sent 50 kits each. We will ask the clinics to use this supply first, and additional kits will be provided through the city’s “direct order – direct delivery” system as needed.
To briefly explain, kits will go to outpatient clinics that treat patients for fever. If they need more, we will ask them to order directly from a pharmaceutical wholesaler, which will directly deliver the needed number of kits. This is the “direct order – direct delivery” system, which enables clinics to receive supplies in the shortest possible time. Once the delivery is complete, the wholesaler reports the quantities to the Yokohama Medical Association (YMA). The clinics also report how much they used, which is then compiled by the YMA, with whom the city has signed a consignment contract.
Many patients visit clinics for fever but are at low risk of developing severe symptoms, so we will leave it up to each doctor’s judgement on how best to hand out the testing kits. Kanagawa Prefecture will provide 1.5 million kits, but we do not yet know how many will be allocated to Yokohama. The city will distribute 300,000 kits to clinics, and prefecture residents can request a kit and pick one up at a pharmacy without a doctor’s note, so between the kits sent to clinics and the kits provided by the prefecture, I believe there should be no shortage of kits for those who need them.
We considered it necessary to enhance capacity at emergency clinics that operate on holidays, so in coordination with doctors in each of the 18 wards, we have added 3 nurses to each clinic as of July 24. We will continue to strengthen the health care support system and add further personnel to holiday emergency clinics.
Finally, this is a season when many people are visiting home, traveling, and so on, there will be many opportunities to come into contact with others. I believe it is important for all residents to continue to observe basic measures to prevent infection. Also, please take ample care to avoid heat stroke.
For those who are at low risk of serious illness and have only mild symptoms, we would like you to consider taking advantage of the prefectural government's self-checkup, voluntary testing, and voluntary medical care.
