Osaka May Seek Early End To State Of Emergency
Signs the coronavirus situation may be improving in Japan. Officials in Tokyo reported 276 new cases on Monday. That's the lowest figure in over two months. In Osaka, the governor has suggested he may ask the central government to lift the state of emergency before it's due to expire on March 7.
Osaka Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi said, "The declaration should be lifted if the explosion of infections is successfully contained."
Osaka is one of 10 prefectures currently under the state of emergency. It's set criteria to determine when to ask the central government to lift the declaration. While the number of new cases is low enough, the medical system is still under a lot of strain.
The central government says anti-coronavirus measures should be eased in phases after the declaration is lifted.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu said, "We are keeping a close eye on the situation in each prefecture, including whether the healthcare system is overstretched. And we'll continue to consult with experts."
The government plans to convene a meeting of experts this week to consider whether or not there are any regions where the state of emergency can be lifted.
The officials will then determine if that prefecture should be subject to a new infection preventive scheme, as outlined in the revised special measures legislation.
The government is also planning to make a decision on some changes to its basic response plan according to the revised legislation, after hearing from the experts on Friday. It is set to take effect on Saturday.
The National Center for Global Health and Medicine is launching a clinical research project to assess if a patient is at risk of developing serious COVID-19 symptoms.
Researchers say data suggests there may be a correlation between a certain protein and the risk of an infected person's symptoms getting worse. If they're successful, at-risk patients could be identified through a simple urine test.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised about the AstraZeneca vaccine, which health authorities in Japan are considering approving.
The South African government has paused plans to use the jab. It comes after preliminary findings suggested the vaccine offers only minimal protection for mild to moderate cases of the South African variant. Few cases of the variant have been reported so far in Japan.