Associated Press
Masked pedestrians walk by city hall last week in Osaka, Japan, where coronavirus cases are surging just as Japan prepares for the Olympic spotlight. Previous Next
Saturday, May 22, 2021 1:00 am
Pandemic overwhelms Osaka
Associated Press
TOKYO – As she struggled to breathe, Shizue Akita had to wait more than six hours while paramedics searched for a hospital in Osaka that would treat her worsening COVID-19.
When she finally got to one that wasn t overwhelmed with other patients, doctors diagnosed severe pneumonia and organ failure and sedated her. Akita, 87, was dead two weeks later.
“Osaka s medical systems have collapsed,” said her son, Kazuyuki Akita. He has watched from his home north of Tokyo as three other family members in Osaka have dealt with the virus, and with inadequate health care. “It s like hell.”
As Olympics loom, Japan health care in turmoil msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Like hell : As Olympics loom, Japan health care in turmoil
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Last Updated: May 21, 2021, 02:35 PM IST
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Synopsis
Hospitals in Osaka, Japan s third-biggest city and only 2 1/2 hours by bullet train from Summer Olympics host Tokyo, are overflowing with coronavirus patients. About 35,000 people nationwide twice the number of those in hospitals must stay at home with the disease, often becoming seriously ill and sometimes dying before they can get medical care.
AP
As she struggled to breathe, Shizue Akita had to wait more than six hours while paramedics searched for a hospital in Osaka that would treat her worsening COVID-19.
When she finally got to one that wasn t overwhelmed with other patients, doctors diagnosed severe pneumonia and organ failure and sedated her. Akita, 87, was dead two weeks later.
Like hell: As Olympics loom, Japan health care in turmoil - Medicine Hat NewsMedicine Hat News medicinehatnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medicinehatnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In this April 19, 2021, file photo, a restaurant staff member, center, stands in the middle of a street to promote her establishment at one of the famous commercial districts in Osaka, western Japan, as some of the businesses have closed under the government measures against the coronavirus. Hospitals in Osaka, Japan’s third-biggest city and only 2 1/2 hours by bullet train from Summer Olympics host Tokyo, are overflowing with coronavirus patients. About 35,000 people nationwide twice the number of those in hospitals - must stay at home with the disease, often becoming seriously ill and sometimes dying before they can get medical care.