Govt. To Allow Dentists To Conduct Virus Tests
Japan's health ministry is planning to allow dentists to carry out tests for the coronavirus in an effort to increase testing capacity.
The ministry presented the plan at an expert panel meeting on Sunday.
It said that it would be more difficult to secure enough doctors and other staff who conduct PCR tests, which identify viral infection, as the government is working to increase testing.
Currently, collecting samples from patients' nostrils and throats doesn't fall under the procedures dentists are allowed to do. The ministry said it wants to allow them as a special measure.
The ministry said it plans to allow dentists, who have taken relevant training, to conduct PCR tests with patients' consent if it becomes difficult to secure the sufficient number of doctors and other testers during the state of emergency.
Some experts offered comments on the content of training, but there were no objections to the proposal.
The ministry says it wants to start the measure within days after ironing out the details.
In Japan, the number of PCR tests conducted per day reached about 8,800 in mid-April, about four times the figure for the same period a month earlier. But the government is working to further increase the tests.
