Photo/Illutration This hotel in Fukui city has a special room for polymerase chain reaction tests for those showing minor symptoms of COVID-19. (Ippei Yaoita)

The government again changed its policy on dealing with people showing minor symptoms of COVID-19 following the startling death of an infected man in Saitama Prefecture.

Health minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters on April 23 that such individuals should be admitted to hotels where doctors and nurses are on call around the clock.

Currently, those with mild symptoms can rest at home.

The Saitama man in his 50s who lived by himself had been resting at home after his initial symptoms for the novel coronavirus infection were considered minor.

After he complained of a higher fever on April 20, steps were made to have him hospitalized the next day. But his condition worsened overnight, and he was confirmed dead on April 21 after he was rushed to the hospital.

The ministry’s policy change will pose a challenge to prefectural governments on how quickly they can secure the needed hotel rooms for individuals with minor symptoms.

Saitama prefectural government officials said that as of April 23, 225 patients were being treated in hospitals for COVID-19, while 357 were resting at home.

So far, Saitama Prefecture has secured only 111 rooms at one hotel. Thirty-six patients are now staying in those rooms.

“While the new health ministry guideline is better for patients, we are still negotiating with other hotels,” a high-ranking prefectural government official said. “Even if we are able to secure rooms, it will take time before we can accommodate everyone. We face a very severe situation.”

Kato was visiting a hotel in Tokyo accommodating those with minor symptoms when he told reporters of the policy change.

“Our basic policy will be to have individuals rest in hotels from the standpoint of preventing a spread of infections within a family as well as dealing with any sudden worsening in condition,” Kato said.

However, ministry officials said exceptions would be made for individuals with young children or those living in regions where a sufficient number of hotel rooms cannot be secured.

As of April 23, 32 of Japan’s 47 prefectures were accommodating infected residents in hotels or preparing to do so.

The health ministry’s initial policy was to hospitalize everyone confirmed infected through polymerase chain reaction tests, even if the symptoms were minor.

But hospital officials and experts raised concerns that the policy would quickly lead to a shortage of hospital beds.

Tokyo and Osaka, where infection cases were rapidly increasing, were among the prefectures that began securing hotel rooms to accommodate patients with minor symptoms.

On April 2, the central government changed its policy and allowed prefectural governments facing surges in serious cases to ask those with minor symptoms to recuperate at home.

Patients with elderly family members or members who worked in health care were given priority to rest at hotels and other facilities.

But reports about infections spreading within families led to greater calls to allow those with minor symptoms to recuperate at hotels.

(This article was compiled from reports by Haruna Ishikawa, Yoko Hasegawa and Chiaki Ogihara.)

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