The research and development of special drugs and the continuous vaccination of vaccines in Japan have entered a “transition period”Fly into the homes of ordinary people
Japan’s epidemic prevention enters a “transition period”
On March 17, the Japanese government held a headquarters meeting on the prevention and control measures against the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and conducted a comprehensive study and judgment on the “key measures to prevent the spread” that are being applied in 18 prefectures and prefectures. “Unblocking”, adding that this was a prudent decision based on the premise that the number of newly infected people, the utilization rate of hospital beds, and the number of people quarantined at home all showed a downward trend. Some analysts pointed out that the “unblocking” highlights the turn of the Japanese government’s anti-epidemic measures, but this does not mean that Japan has come out of the “gloomy period” of the new crown pneumonia epidemic. The period of time after the unblocking will be defined as a “transition period” to return to normal life. Once the epidemic rebounds strongly, Japan will once again implement key measures to prevent the spread.
There are internal and external reasons for “unblocking”
Since the rampant prevalence of the Omicron mutant strain, Western countries have announced that they will take measures to relax the prevention and control of the epidemic, in an attempt to alleviate the social and economic crisis since the outbreak of the epidemic. After reassessing the weights of unmanageable morbidity, mortality, and growing socioeconomic problems, alleviating socioeconomic stress became their consensus. Under the new situation, Western society is more likely to believe in the theory of long-term coexistence with the virus that was popular two years ago. It is believed that although the new strain is highly infectious, the lethality rate is low. Therefore, restrictions on people gathering and coercion have been lifted. Measures such as wearing masks have even announced a timetable for reopening the country.
Judging from Japan’s own epidemic prevention effect, although the “key measures to prevent the spread” implemented so far have achieved certain results, the negative effects are also increasing day by day: First, the economic burden is increasing. Data show that Japan once spent nearly 40% of its gross domestic product in fighting the epidemic. With the economy in trouble, many families are filled with fear and anxiety about their financial prospects. More than 85% of households have experienced or expected income cuts, 47% of staff are concerned about losing their livelihoods, and casual workers, the self-employed and students face the most severe financial pain. With students unable to keep part-time jobs and tuition fees, schools have sought emergency scholarships and one-time payments for students to help them pay for online classes. The second is family tension. Thousands of Japanese companies have slowly shifted from office work to telecommuting after Japan tightened its containment measures. However, many white-collar workers face new pressures as they spend all day with their families in small rooms that double as offices. Many Japanese families adhere to traditional gender roles, with wives looking after the house and children, men spending most of their time in the office, and having to drink after get off work. The closure of schools and daycares, continued face-to-face time with family members working from home, and taking up small territories that each considers their own have led to strained relationships and depression. As couples spend more time quarreling at home, their relationship is becoming more and more distant, and the proportion of divorces due to the epidemic has also shown an upward trend. Third, under the normal state of epidemic control, most people tend to reduce unnecessary social activities, resulting in fewer opportunities for people to communicate. More complaints are that Japan’s countermeasures against the new crown pneumonia epidemic often only focus on how to reduce the medical burden, while considering the medium and long-term development, relevant policies that can increase the willingness to marry and have children should also be introduced.
According to Japan’s NHK TV report, the results of a study by a professional organization in Tokyo show that due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the number of marriage registrations in Japan has decreased by at least about 110,000 in the two years from 2020 to 2021.
It is imminent to change the epidemic prevention policy
As the number of new cases in Japan gradually declines, the maximum number of people entering Japan has been raised to 7,000 on March 14, and will be raised to 10,000 from April 1. While relaxing the entry policy, Japan’s domestic epidemic prevention policy also needs to be adjusted accordingly.
The Japan Economic Association (Kidanren) requires that the new crown pneumonia epidemic be positioned as a recurring epidemic disease in certain regions and seasons, and targeted measures should be implemented based on the actual situation of mutant strains through strict legal constraints. It is recommended to cancel the daily cap on the number of people entering Japan, further simplify entry inspection procedures and quarantine procedures, restart international exchanges including tourism, and cancel unnecessary restrictions such as shortening the business hours of the catering industry.
At the same time, the Japanese government is also preparing corresponding countermeasures for further opening up, such as removing the 20,000 participants limit for large-scale events. On March 12, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida responded to tourism, saying that “if the right time comes, the government will make preparations and resume activities as soon as possible.”
The Japanese economic circle is eagerly looking forward to changing the epidemic prevention policy, while the quarantine department is worried about the confusion in the connection and coordination of testing and isolation facilities caused by the increase in the number of immigrants. Frontline workers are struggling to cope with policy changes, complaining that “decisions always come so suddenly that there is no room for preparation”. The staff basically maintains the operation of the isolation facilities by “continuous rotation”, such as how many people have been vaccinated by the entrants, and the number of people traveling with them, dietary taboos, etc. must also be taken into account during centralized isolation. Even so, there is still an endless stream of complainants, some complaining that the rooms in the isolation facility are not spacious enough, some complaining that the network signal is not good, and some complaining about the untimely sorting of online shopping packages during the isolation period.
According to Japanese media reports, since the mutated strain of Omicron became popular at the end of last year, it has become common for people to stay in the quarantine area of Japanese airports for a long time. It is said that some people even waited for more than 8 hours, comparing the quarantine area of Haneda Airport in Japan to Field hospitals are no exception. If the maximum number of people entering the country reaches 10,000 or 20,000 people, it will be difficult to digest with the current quarantine efficiency.
Although the relevant Japanese authorities have a “fast track” to reduce the burden on the front-line by going through the pre-entry procedures through the App, that is, the entrants can independently complete the quarantine commitment and the submission of the negative nucleic acid test certificate within 72 hours before leaving the country before arriving in Japan. But so far, not all airports have adopted this approach. Even at the airports where this method was adopted, people who completed the pre-trial procedures were mixed with other people, and the scene was chaotic, causing the on-site staff to be in a hurry.
Research and development of specific drugs and continuous vaccination of vaccines
With the gradual relaxation of domestic and foreign epidemic prevention policies, Japan is also stepping up the development of new crown special drugs.
According to reports, the “S-217622” new crown oral drug developed by Japan’s Shionogi Pharmaceutical Company is more effective than several oral drugs produced in the United States, and the final cure rate can reach 100%. On February 25, the drug has officially submitted an application for clinical treatment approval to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. If approved, as an oral drug, Shionogi will be the third new crown treatment drug to be marketed in Japan after Merck and Pfizer in the United States. The drug can also relieve respiratory symptoms such as runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, and asthma caused by the new coronavirus, and it also has a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of Omicron mutant strains.
It is also reported that Professor Bei Jie of Nagasaki University in Japan has recently confirmed through experiments that the natural amino acid “5-ALA” has an obvious effect on the mutant strain of Omicron. By comparing the infected people who took “5-ALA” for 14 consecutive days and those who did not take it, it was found that the taste and smell and appetite of the patients who took “5-ALA” were significantly improved. In addition, “5-ALA” is combined with multiple targets such as surface protrusions and genetic genes of the new coronavirus, and it is also effective for the emergence of new variants of the new coronavirus in the future.
In addition to the research and development of specific drugs, the Japanese government still focuses on vaccination. At present, the third vaccination rate in Japan is close to 30%. The Japanese government is still considering the fourth vaccination, and has decided to give Pfizer and Maude. The two companies have applied for an additional purchase of about 145 million doses of the vaccine. Regarding the vaccination time of the fourth vaccine, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare will hold an expert meeting to discuss its necessity and the interval time required for vaccination. Since the interval between vaccinations of the two companies is more than 6 months, the fourth dose of the vaccine will start this summer at the earliest.