COVID-19 death rate among Hokkaido dialysis patients higher than Japan average July 9, 2021 (Mainichi Japan) The office of the Hokkaido kidney disease patient liaison council is seen in Sapporo's Kita Ward on June 20, 2021. (Mainichi/Yui Takahashi) SAPPORO -- The COVID-19 death rate among artificial dialysis patients in Hokkaido was as much as 2.7 times higher than the national average. During May and June, when the "fourth wave" of infections hit Hokkaido, nearly half of the more than 100 kidney disease patients receiving dialysis who were infected with the coronavirus at hospitals and other places died. Many dialysis patients have not been vaccinated, and they fear daily for their lives.