The head of an expert panel advising the government on policy responses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic griped that all three administrations he worked with were prone at times to drawing up antivirus measures without consulting specialists of contagious diseases.

Shigeru Omi said that the prime ministers--Shinzo Abe, Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida--shared a “strong resolve” to address the pandemic and contain the spread of the virus.

But as examples of not bothering to hear what specialists had to say, Omi cited the nationwide closure of schools announced in late February 2020 under Abe, the continuation under Suga of a government program offering travel discounts in autumn 2020, even though the novel coronavirus was rapidly spreading, and the decision to cut the self-quarantine period for an individual who had a close contact with an infected individual to just three days at the earliest.

“I understand that ultimately, politicians are the ones to decide and that they are keen to take the initiative in an emergency, which is just as it should be,” Omi told The Asahi Shimbun in an interview in Tokyo on Jan. 13 as he looked back on the past three years.

Still, Omi underscored the importance of decisions taken by leaders based on feedback from specialists.

“The role of experts is presenting proposals,” he said. “Politicians should first fully comprehend our proposals and then decide on (measures) by taking into account what impact the proposals will have on society and the economy.”

He also exhorted politicians to explain their reasons when they take a different stand from that of experts, declaring it should be the norm.

“We need to improve the decision-making process to prepare for the next pandemic,” he said.

CALLS FOR GRADUAL TRANSITION

Kishida has announced a plan to downgrade COVID-19, which is categorized as an infectious disease under the infectious disease prevention law and reclassify it as a Class V contagious disease like seasonal flu.

Omi said he supports holding discussions on reclassification.

“The nation’s big goal for now is how to keep society, the economy and education rolling while maintaining health care systems that can provide medical services to patients in need,” he said.

But the downgrade, which is expected to start in stages from spring or later, will mark a major policy shift in the government’s strategy to combat COVID-19.

It will also result in the closure of the central and local governments’ COVID-19 response headquarters. As a result, the central government will no longer have the authority to declare a COVID-19 state of emergency or announce pre-emergency measures.

Omi called on the government to take incremental steps to transition to the new arrangement, citing the possibility of a negative impact that could prove too much to bear.  

He noted that although the ratio of patients who become serious ill after contracting the coronavirus fell in recent waves, COVID-19’s ability to infect people is considerably higher than that of seasonal flu and related deaths are, therefore, much higher.

Japan has reported more than 60,000 deaths from COVID-19 to date. Of this, more than 10,000 deaths occurred over the course of 40 days or so from Dec. 1, the fastest pace since the start of the pandemic. On Jan. 11, a record 520 related deaths were confirmed nationwide.

On Jan. 21, Omi warned against the public’s expectations for better access to medical care following the reclassification of the novel coronavirus and its weakened ability to spread and cause fatalities.

“It will be impossible to see more medical facilities join the existing hospitals in treating patients and see fewer outbreaks and deaths” due to the downgrade, he said.

COVID-19 patients have been admitted to designated large facilities with all the proper medical equipment and preparations under the current setup.

“If the government is determined to reclassify COVID-19, we should immediately be making preparations to ensure adequate treatment, care and other life support for the elderly is available,” he said.

(This story was written by Akiyoshi Abe and Anri Takahashi.)