Japan's government is introducing a contentious new policy in which coronavirus patients with moderate symptoms will isolate at home instead of in hospitals, as new cases surge in Tokyo to record levels during the Olympic Games.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's plan, which aims to save hospital beds almost exclusively for those with serious symptoms or at risk of developing them, is a major policy shift as new cases in the capital have more than tripled since the Olympics began on July 23.
He said the home isolation policy is meant to ensure that hospital care is available for seriously ill patients, and that the new plan is only for areas where hospitals are severely strained. "The pandemic has now entered a new phase," Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said in parliament. "Hospital capacity is limited."
In Tokyo, more than 14,000 patients with mild symptoms are currently isolating at home -- more than a 10-fold increase from a month ago -- and about 8,400 others are waiting for beds in hospitals or special hotels.
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