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"I don't have to wear a mask when I go out for a run" "I booked a ticket to Tokyo Disneyland in November, and I also have to go to the restaurant of "Lonely Foodie" " "I plan to go to Kyoto Arashiyama to enjoy the autumn leaves" - After the epidemic improved, Japanese friends from Tokyo, Shizuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka Prefecture, Hokkaido and other places shared their travel plans for November with reporters.
On November 1, the number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture was 9 and 7, respectively. This is the first time since May 31 last year that the number of new confirmed cases in a single day in the two places has dropped to single digits. On the same day, the number of new confirmed cases nationwide was 86, the first time since June 27 last year that it fell to double digits. As a result, the Japanese government has gradually relaxed restrictions on activities.
Three months ago, the fifth wave of the epidemic in Japan worsened, with more than 28,000 new confirmed cases in a single day. However, since entering October, the number of new confirmed cases has shown a cliff-like decline. As of October 30, 14 of Japan's 47 prefectures had cleared zero. In the face of questions such as "where has the Delta virus gone" and "Has Japan really won the epidemic prevention", the Japanese government and virus experts have not yet given standard answers.
In the face of outside skepticism, Japanese experts have tried to give an explanation from the Delta virus itself.
A research team from Japan's National Institute of Genetics and Niigata University published a study on October 30. The results showed that the fifth wave of the epidemic in Japan slowed down because of a change in the mutant enzyme (nsp14) used to repair the genetic combination of Delta virus — the Delta virus was unable to repair its mutated function, resulting in the virus's virulence weakening.
Japanese experts explained that the mutant enzymes that affect the repair of delta virus have changed, and the virus may tend to die naturally
"Before the outbreak peaked in late August, almost all viruses changed due to enzymes." Professor Yoshiro Inoue of Japan's National Institute of Genetics said at a press conference, "The mutant enzymes that affect the repair of Delta virus have changed, and the virus may tend to die naturally." ”
A more accepted explanation than the "natural death" of the new crown virus is that Japan's active promotion of vaccination has been effective, and the group centered on the elderly has been fully vaccinated. Takao Okusu, director of the International Infectious Diseases Center of the National Center for International Medical Research, affirmed: "Promoting vaccination has undoubtedly played a huge role. ”
According to statistics, on July 20, near the opening of the Tokyo Olympic Games, only 24.6% of the people in Japan completed two vaccinations. However, the latest data from 3 November shows that 72.8 percent of people have completed two vaccinations, with 90 percent of those over the age of 65 vaccinating.
"Although there is still fear of infection, the elderly are almost all vaccinated, which is much more reassuring." Keiko Wada, 69, the director of Tokyo's Kitasah House nursing home, still remembers the en mass infectious events that erupted last spring.
In May last year, 51 residents and caregivers of the "North Sand House" were collectively infected with the new crown, resulting in the death of 5 elderly people. In April and May, the nursing home vaccinated about 200 residents and caregivers against COVID-19, thoroughly disinfected the facility, and asked caregivers to ban eating out. So far, there have been no more infections in nursing homes.
Residents and caregivers of the "North Sand Home" nursing home are vaccinated against COVID-19
Kiyoshi Taniguchi, president of Mie University Hospital, also said: "The sharp decline in confirmed cases of the fifth wave of the epidemic is due to the sharp increase in confirmed patients, and the vaccination of vaccines is also accelerating. A lot of antibodies to the virus were produced in a period of time after the national vaccination, which played an effect in preventing infection. ”
In addition, the fifth wave of the epidemic coincided with the opening of the Tokyo Olympic Games, and the continuous attention of the media made the people widely aware of the risks of the epidemic. Shigeru Ozai, president of the Japanese government's COVID-19 Countermeasures Branch, said bluntly: "The media has spread the news about the shortage of medical resources to the public, and people have raised their awareness of risks. ”
During the Obon Festival in August, the flow of people increased at one point, but after two weeks the flow of people began to decline. The Japanese government has proposed that "the flow of people in Tokyo need to be reduced to about 50% in mid-July", and has adopted measures such as "halving the number of people going out", "strengthening control of people in department stores and shopping malls", "strengthening remote work", and "trying not to go out and control movement within the prefecture".
Some analysts believe that although the flow of people in Tokyo has only decreased by 20% to 30%, it has still achieved remarkable results. Judging by the age composition of pedestrians on the streets at night, young people who have not yet been vaccinated consciously avoid going out.
The younger generation without vaccination consciously avoids night trips
At the same time, there are also skeptical claims that the high cost of PCR (nucleic acid testing) has led to a recent decline in the number of tests, and the number of infections has only "seemed" to decrease.
Japan previously set the price of the pcr test conducted independently at 33,000 yen (about 1,855 yuan). On August 25, when Japan issued an additional declaration of emergency, the number of PCR tests in Japan reached about 168,000. On November 3, the number of PCR tests plummeted to about 22,000.
Some media believe that the decline in the number of PCR tests is also due to political considerations. On October 31, the voting day for Japan's House of Representatives election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party deliberately controlled the number of PCR tests in order to get an evaluation of "successful response to the epidemic".
South Korea has raised similar questions. Many media pointed out that recently South Korea has also adopted strict epidemic prevention measures, but the number of infected people has not been reduced. "Japan's Liberal Democratic Party wants to win the election, and the biggest pressure is the epidemic." South Korean current affairs commentator Kim Yoo-joon commented, "They manipulated the number of infected people by reducing the number of PCR tests in order to win the House election." The government cannot engage in such fraud. ”
South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo also questioned: "Japanese experts have not been able to give a clear explanation, and the current [situation] is an illusion brought about by the reduction in the number of PCR tests." ”
As the epidemic shows a better trend, it is expected that the flow of people such as visiting relatives and tourism will be active in the new year, and experts remind us to be vigilant against the emergence of the sixth wave of the epidemic. In this regard, the Japanese government has also stepped up research and development work, planning to launch oral drugs that can treat new crown pneumonia within this year.
On November 1, Ken Tetsuyo, president of Japan's Shiono Yoshi pharmaceutical company, said at a press conference that the new crown treatment drug has entered the final clinical trial stage and plans to carry out clinical trials in Places such as Singapore and South Korea, "this is due to the sharp decline in the number of infected people in Japan, and the number of patients participating in clinical trials cannot be fully guaranteed."
According to reports, the therapeutic drug is an oral drug for patients with mild diseases, which can inhibit the proliferation of the virus and prevent severe disease. The company plans to submit an application for approval of the oral drug to the Japanese government within the year.
An oral drug developed by Yoshinori Shiono Pharmaceutical Company in Japan
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 vaccine the company is developing will also enter the final clinical trial phase in November. If approved, the vaccine is expected to become Japan's first domestic COVID-19 vaccine.
Previously, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare also approved two new drugs for the use of "antibody cocktail therapy" for covid-19 infection applied by Chinese and foreign pharmaceutical companies. This became the fourth COVID-19 treatment approved in Japan, following remdesivir, dexamethasone and barretinib standard therapies.
Hiraku Mango, head of the expert group at the Tokyo Center for Infectious Disease Countermeasures, is looking forward to this: "When the 'Antibody Cocktail Therapy' was tested in Tokyo, the therapeutic effect reached 95%. If the oral drug is successfully approved, together with vaccination and this therapy, it will be able to control the spread of the epidemic well this winter. ”
As the epidemic improves, from November 1, the Japanese government lifted the restriction on the number of spectators for large-scale events to 10,000 people, but maintained the measure of "in principle (the number of people) to be controlled within 50% of the capacity of the venue".
November 3 is a Japanese cultural festival and the first holiday after the relaxation of restrictions. The Maruyama Zoo in Sapporo, Hokkaido, has lifted the entry restriction for 5,000 people, and visitors do not need to make a reservation to enter the park directly. Nagano Prefecture's Karuizawa Ski Resort also opened on the same day, allowing many ski enthusiasts to start their first ski this winter.
Maruyama Zoo in Sapporo, Hokkaido
A person in charge of a local high-end hot spring hotel told Phoenix Weekly: "After entering November, the number of TV stations that came to consult on interviews has increased significantly. This is due to the fact that during the emergency, it is difficult for tv stations to broadcast travel programs. They want to come and shoot a tourist show, including a hot spring hotel. ”
Under the epidemic situation, the Japanese people soaked in foot bath hot springs
As restrictions were eased domestically, there were growing voices demanding that Japan open its doors and allow foreigners to enter the country. As of October, 370,000 foreigners were unable to come to Japan due to restrictions on entry, seven of whom were technical intern trainees and international students.
Japan plans to relax entry restrictions
On October 21, Paul Hastings, a senior member of the Japan International Christian University Consortium, submitted a petition to the Japanese Ambassador to the United States, Kanji Yamano, asking the Japanese government to lift the suspension of student visas and the ban on new entries.
According to Japanese media reports, Japan plans to relax the entry restriction policy that has been stagnant for 10 months, and will resume the entry of foreign business personnel, international students, and technical intern trainees into Japan in stages from November 8 as soon as November 8. However, tourists are not included in the scope of this measure. The quarantine period after the arrival of the relevant personnel in Japan will also be shortened from the current 10 days to 3 days.
The Japanese government originally required all entrants to quarantine for 14 days, but from October this year, the quarantine time was shortened to 10 days under the condition of meeting the requirements of two doses of the new crown vaccine. The latest policy is that in principle, those who enter the country with vaccine passports and negative nucleic acid certificates issued by foreign government agencies only need to quarantine for 3 days. After receiving a negative nucleic acid test on day 4, the immigrants are free to take public transportation to go out or participate in activities such as dinner.
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