COVID INFECTIONS LIKE ‘A BOMB WITH A LIT FUSE,’ JAPANESE DOCTOR WARNS

The surge in COVID-19 infections in Japan has shown no signs of abating during the past few weeks, despite the national government's request that the public take thorough countermeasures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Hidekazu Nishimura, head of the Virus Research Center at Sendai Medical Center in northeast Japan, who is an expert on infectious diseases, has warned strongly about airborne transmission of the virus, whose risk increases during the winter, Hiromi Makino reported for Mainichi Shimbun.

“The winter spread of infections is as predicted. I think that Japan has been holding out against an explosive spread of the coronavirus, in comparison to countries in Europe and the United States, but we are by no means in a position to view the situation optimistically. To make an analogy, the current situation is like a bomb with a lit fuse hissing. The health care system has become strained, and will possibly rupture if no countermeasures are taken,” he added.

“Airborne transmission can be prevented by avoiding the ‘three C's’ of confined spaces, crowded places and close contact settings, and wearing masks correctly. As rooms are often closed off with heaters on during the winter, ventilation is important to avoid the three C's.

However, when the room temperature drops all of a sudden due to ventilation, there is potential danger of heat shock, in which blood pressure changes drastically, triggering diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

Even in regular times, there are many deaths caused by heat shock in the winter, and it defeats the purpose if people lose their lives while taking countermeasures against infection.

It is necessary to take sufficient precautionary measures, such as opening windows a bit while using the heater, so that the room temperature does not fall too much,” he concluded.

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