30% Of Covid - 19 Cases In Hokkaido Not In Database
NHK has learned that about one-third of coronavirus cases confirmed last month in Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido were not recorded in a government database because medical staff there are too busy treating patients.
The government introduced the HER-SYS database in May to grasp the infection situation in real time. Medical institutions and public health centers nationwide are asked to immediately input data on confirmed cases.
But sources say healthcare staff in Hokkaido did not enter about 30 percent of the roughly 5,600 cases for November because they were busy handling a surge in patients.
The Hokkaido prefectural government says public health centers keep informed of the local situation by the conventional method of receiving faxes from hospitals and clinics.
The prefecture says it sends officials to the centers to assist with information gathering, but they are often assigned to tasks other than inputting data.
Taniguchi Kiyosu of National Mie Hospital says inputting data is meaningless if the government does not tally the figures or release the information.
Taniguchi is urging the government to not put undue burden on medical workers already under strain, but to consider what information is worth sharing so communities can take effective measures.
The health ministry says it is aware of the situation and will consult experts on how to use the information and make data input less burdensome.
