Region accounted for third of Japan s death toll in May Swamping of health system highlights challenge of Olympics Just half of Japan s medical staff completed inoculations
By Kiyoshi Takenaka
OSAKA, Japan, May 24 (Reuters) - 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% of its population.
May 24, 2021
published at 6:37 AMReuters
A woman, wearing protective mask following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), walks on an almost empty street in the Dotonbori entertainment district of Osaka, Japan, March 14, 2020.
Reuters
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 nine 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 seven per cent of its population.
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.