Japanese Patient Turned Away By 100 Hospitals Amid Olympic Spike In COVID-19 Cases

A Japanese patient who was left in a serious condition after testing positive for COVID-19 was reportedly turned away by over 100 hospitals amid a spike in new daily coronavirus cases in Tokyo, as the city hosts the Olympic Games.

The 50-year-old unnamed COVID-19 patient reportedly alerted emergency services after he started experiencing difficulty in breathing. However, he was allegedly turned away by about 100 hospitals as the facilities were already overwhelmed with novel coronavirus patients and were all fully occupied.

He was later admitted to a hospital 50 kilometers away from his home the next day, about eight hours after he made the first call for help, Tokyo Reporter reported.

During the first week of July, some 698 COVID-19 patients had to wait more than 30 minutes for admittance to a hospital, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported.

On July 31, the daily coronavirus cases exceeded 4,000 for the first time in Tokyo, peaking at 4,058 new cases in a single day.

“We believe that there is a high risk that the number of cases will reach more than 5,000 a day in Tokyo and more than 15,000 nationwide by the time the Olympics close this weekend,” Susumu Morita, the General Secretary of the Japan Federation of Medical Workers’ Union said.

Tokyo is reportedly constructing around 16 vaccination hubs that are capable of vaccinating 4,000 people per day. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases in Tokyo have almost doubled over the past week. The county’s top medical union indicated that the Olympic Games could lead to further deaths in Tokyo, according to Brisbane Times.

Meanwhile, Tokyo’s test positivity ratio reportedly climbed to nearly 20 percent from 10 percent at the start of the Olympic Games.

In other news, the credentials of at least 14 participants in the Olympic Games have reportedly been revoked for violating COVID-19 rules.

Out of the 14 participants, six Olympians reportedly had their credentials removed entirely. Meanwhile, eight participants had their credentials suspended temporarily. In addition to this, 10 participants have been strictly warned and four participants were made to sign pledges on top of those warnings. Out of the 14 participants who were disciplined, two judoka medalists from Georgia have been reportedly expelled.

In addition to routine testing, the Olympic Games participants reportedly live under a "bubble" environment, which requires them to wear masks at all times. They are also not allowed to take public transportation and are allowed to leave their accommodation only to travel to Olympic venues, according to Sports Illustrated.

“These incidents will affect the reputation of the majority of Games’ stakeholders who are adhering to the rules,” Toshiro Muto, Olympic Games CEO said.

“In order for the Games to be successful, we need all the stakeholders and participants to adhere to the rules,” Muto added.