Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, February 20 -- The Japanese Obstetrics and Gynecology Medical Association and other institutions said on the 19th that since the beginning of this year, the number of pregnant women infected with the new crown virus in the Tokyo area has surged. Preliminary data show that more than 1,100 pregnant women in Tokyo were infected with COVID-19 in January alone, and about 20% of them were hospitalized for treatment.
Citing data from the Japan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Japan Broadcasting Association reported that 1,141 pregnant women in Tokyo reported a new coronavirus infection in January, a new high. The previous highest figure came in August 2021, when 611 pregnant women were reported to be infected with COVID-19. Of the pregnant women infected with COVID-19 last month, 258 were hospitalized, 879 were recuperating at home, and 4 were admitted to designated accommodation facilities for recuperation.
People wear masks as they walk the streets of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 21. (Photo by Xinhua news agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu)
Take, for example, Ebara Hospital, a designated covid-19 hospital in Tokyo's Ota Ward, which treated 47 pregnant women infected with COVID-19 last year, compared with 36 as of February 18 this year. According to the hospital, although most pregnant women who come to the hospital are mild or asymptomatic, medical staff need to pay special attention to their physical condition during their hospital stay, including preparing pregnant women for nighttime delivery.
Ebara Hospital has 4 full-time obstetricians and gynecologists. In addition to treating pregnant women infected with the new crown, the new crown designated hospital also has to treat other patients, and in order to cope with the shortage of manpower, it has to limit the number of outpatients and postpone non-emergency surgery. The hospital's doctor, Makoto Ikebukuro, said that the hospital was asked to receive 6 pregnant women infected with the new crown on the 17th, but only 3 were accepted for epidemic prevention and safety reasons. He worries that the current tensions could worsen further as the number of infections continues to increase.
Akihito Nakai, executive director of the Japan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a professor at Japan Medical University, said: "The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized has not decreased, and we must always be vigilant. Nowadays, so many pregnant women with new crown are at home, especially those who are infected in the third trimester of pregnancy, and the risk of developing severe illness is increased. ”
To this end, tokyo has set up maternity wards in two newly built accommodation facilities for covid-19 treatment since the 19th, with a total of 40 pregnant women beds, and established a daily online inspection mechanism for obstetricians. (Qiao Ying)