Photo/Illutration A medical worker receives a COVID-19 booster jab at Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center in the capital on Dec. 1, 2021. (Ryo Kato)

A train station I use for my daily commute has an eye-catching billboard that reads, “Trying our hardest to give you an eventless day.”

The advertiser is a building maintenance company tasked with keeping electrical and air conditioning systems trouble-free.

Numerous jobs involve people working to prevent unwanted disruptions in our daily lives.

The morning after heavy snow fell on Jan. 6 , central Tokyo experienced sporadic train delays, but no real chaos to speak of. I felt thankful public transportation was functioning, shops were open and trash was being collected as usual.

But what if many of those essential workers had been unable to get to work? The spreading Omicron contagion makes me uneasy.

In Okinawa Prefecture, where an explosion of cases has occurred, more and more front line health care workers are unable to turn up for work. Aside from people who have tested positive, anyone whose family member has been infected is also considered a close contact for COVID-19, and cannot go to work.

If the medical system becomes overwhelmed in a feared sixth wave of the pandemic, a dire shortage of front line workers will surely be the cause.

Given the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, society as a whole may soon come under tremendous strain.

That is already the case in the United States where the daily tally of cases has reached 1 million.

According to a recent U.S. media report, 20 percent of New York City subway employees are not reporting to work, and some lines have been forced to suspend services.

Shortages of police officers and firefighters have also become serious in various areas, and some schools remain closed.

Even though Omicron is less likely to cause severe health complications, it is very contagious and thus poses numerous problems for society.

How far should dinner parties be restricted? When and how should oral medicines be administered? Is the current self-quarantine period appropriate?

The Omicron variant is simply a strain of the novel coronavirus, but I keep getting the feeling that we are being challenged by a virus with a “different face.”

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 8

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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