I’m in Seattle.
COVID is basically just like a cold. The media is making an unnecessarily big fuss and keeping it in the headlines.
Just go about your life as usual. Washing your hands, wearing a mask, and gargling are all good habits—they also help prevent the flu.
When your turn for the vaccine comes, you should get it. By next winter, it probably won’t even be an issue anymore, and the stock market could be at ¥40,000.
Since the Tokyo Olympics are in the summer, they should be able to go ahead.
Maezawa from Shacho-shitsu here, and I’ll answer as well.
Thank you for your question.
I don’t think there’s any need to react quite that sensitively. I’m not even sure it’s necessary to get a PCR test every single time.
If you feel unwell, just avoid meeting that day. I think that should be enough.
There’s a lot of talk about how dangerous COVID-19 is right now, but I think people should pay a little more attention to the facts.
What you choose to believe is up to you, but personally, I feel people are overreacting at the moment.
Yoshinori Kobayashi has been saying for quite some time that COVID-19 is about as severe as, or even less severe than, influenza. Looking at the figures he cites, I can understand his point.
He has said that if there is any data that disproves those figures, people should present it, and that the dangers of COVID-19 should be discussed based on solid evidence. However, no such figures seem to have emerged so far, so I think it may be reasonable to consider COVID-19 about as dangerous as influenza.
To quote part of the article:
“Although COVID-19 is classified as a Category II designated infectious disease, seasonal influenza causes 3,000 direct deaths, and as many as 10,000 deaths a year if indirect deaths, such as those from aspiration pneumonia, are included.
For that reason, many people argue that COVID-19 should also be downgraded to Category V.
If it remains Category II, treatment can only be provided at designated medical institutions. If we enter January and February—the period when infections are expected to increase further—in this situation, misguided policies could potentially lead to the collapse of the healthcare system.”
That is what it says.
While influenza causes around 10,000 deaths a year, COVID-19 has caused just over 3,000 deaths.
Furthermore, fewer people have died from COVID-19 than the approximately 5,000 people who accidentally drown in bathtubs each year. So how dangerous is COVID-19 really?
(The main point of the article is that the healthcare system could collapse. Japan has 1.6 million hospital beds, but because COVID-19 is classified as Category II, fewer than 30,000 beds are available for COVID-19 patients. That is why the system could collapse.
Category II puts it in the same class as tuberculosis and SARS, but in reality, COVID-19 is about as severe as influenza. If it were placed in the same Category V as influenza, the healthcare system should not collapse.)
https://nikkan-spa.jp/1724287
I’m Uehara, one of the staff members.
I think it’s a good idea to take a PCR test in advance using a ticket-based service and let your partner know that the result was negative. It may help put them at ease, even if only a little.
That said, someone may still test positive on a different day even after receiving a negative result, so it may not provide complete reassurance. Still, I don’t think it’s pointless.
I’m Kazu, a male member.
I don’t get tested because I don’t think doing so regularly really helps manage the risks.
People have different views on what the appropriate approach is, so I believe you should make your own decision rather than asking others. Even if you ask here, it won’t serve as an excuse for anything.
