May 24, 2021
Osaka – Hospitals in Osaka are buckling under a huge wave of new coronavirus infections and running out of beds and ventilators as exhausted doctors warn of a “system collapse,” and advise against holding the Olympics this summer.
Osaka Prefecture, home to 9 million people, is suffering the brunt of the fourth wave of the pandemic, accounting for a third of the nation’s death toll in May, although it constitutes just 7% of its population.
The speed at which Osaka’s health care system was overwhelmed underscores the challenges of hosting a major global sports event in two months’ time, particularly as only about half of Japan’s medical staff have completed inoculations.
Covid cases in Osaka, Japan s second-biggest city, have increased five-fold in three months with doctors warning the health system is facing collapse and calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled.
OSAKA Hospitals in Japan s second largest city of Osaka are buckling under a huge wave of new coronavirus infections, running out of beds and ventilators as exhausted doctors warn of a system collapse, and advise against holding the Olympics this summer. Japan s western region home to 9 million people is suffering the brunt of the fourth wave of the pandemic, accounting for a third of the nation s death toll in May, although it constitutes just 7 per cent of its population. The speed at which Osaka s healthcare system was overwhelmed underscores the challenges of hosting a major global sports event in two months time, particularly as only about half of Japan s medical staff have completed inoculations.
US authorities have warned against traveling to Japan for the Tokyo Olympics which start in July
Both the CDC and Health Department advise Americans avoid all travel to the country, which is experiencing a brutal fourth wave
Covid cases in Japan s second-largest city of Osaka jumped five-fold in three months leading to protests calling for the Games to be canceled
Beds and ventilators are running short, while medical staff are exhausted
Thousands of doctors have joined growing calls to abandon the Tokyo Olympics