WAJIMA, Ishikawa Prefecture The ground was still shaking from aftershocks when Makoto Shinagawa heard the first report about conditions at Wajima Municipal Hospital.
Yutaka Kobayashi has rushed to several disaster areas over the years to provide emergency medical care, but the situation he encountered in the Noto Peninsula region of Ishikawa Prefecture is “the worst ever,” he said.
Only about half of Japan’s governors are confident of meeting the central government request to expand the number of medical institutions willing and able to treat COVID-19 after it is downgraded as an infectious disease.
Every person should decide how best to handle novel coronavirus preventative measures, a group of experts advising the health ministry said in a report.