The serious reality that "I was infected with corona in the 6th wave" felt with my skin

The hotel where the author was recuperating. Each building accepts overnight medical treatment (photographed by the author)

"I will pick you up in 20 minutes from now." The response of the Tokyo metropolitan government was confusing. On January 22, he was tested positive for the coronavirus in Tokyo, where the number of patients is rapidly increasing. I have a family member who is at high risk of becoming seriously ill, so I asked for isolation as soon as possible, but it felt like a long way to go. What will happen to us if we are infected with the corona virus? I want to tell everyone about it as a preparation for "just in case".

■ Fever a few hours after the sore throat and chills The first change was the sore throat and chills. Around 8:00 a.m. on January 20, he felt a chill in his home. When I measure my body temperature, it's 36 degrees and 3 minutes. My throat hurts a little. After taking over-the-counter cold medicine and going to bed, the temperature rose to 38 degrees 8 minutes at 10:30 am. After that, the body temperature rose further to 39 degrees 6 minutes. By this time I was drowsy and did not know what time it was. My eyes are moist and the thermometer reading is blurry. I have pain in my leg joints.

My family ran to the pharmacy for an antigen test kit. However, the approved ones are out of stock. Reluctantly, I bought an "unapproved" set for research and tried it out. Negative. Still, thinking "just in case", I told a nearby clinic that I had a fever, rushed in at the designated time, and took a PCR test. It will take 1-2 days to get the results. On the following day, the 21st, the sore throat began to intensify. My throat hurts no matter what I eat or drink. Chew the porridge slowly and pour it into the stomach with ginger water. I couldn't sleep at night due to severe pain in my throat. Then, at 10:20 am on the 22nd, I received a phone call from a doctor at the clinic.

``It was positive. I got the vaccine twice. Luckily, my company has taken measures to work from home, and I myself have been careful not to meet people. Still infected. "If you ask me where I got infected, I have no idea." The doctor at the clinic prescribed medicine and antipyretics to relieve inflammation over the phone. It is a medicine that has been prescribed for colds before. I thought that it was possible to prescribe the oral medicine "Molnupiravir" for the new coronavirus, but it was only for people at high risk of severe illness. Even if it's much more painful than a normal cold, it seems that only normal medicines are available to me.

I also have a cough. An attack-like cough that does not stop for a while. What will happen next? In the midst of the high fever, I thought about this and that. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's website, the public health center will contact the phone number of the positive person listed in the notification of the outbreak and coordinate the treatment destination. A warning for infected people read: “It is important not to infect your family and those around you. Therefore, among those who have been infected, those with mild or no symptoms who do not require hospitalization are requested to stay at a facility prepared by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. "If you are moving from home to an accommodation facility, the public health center will contact you."

According to this, I will be quarantined and recuperating. In September of last year, a male acquaintance of the same generation passed away from Corona. Unable to be hospitalized due to the collapse of the medical system, he was recuperating at home. I'm coughing and it's hard to breathe, but I don't think he's in that much pain. ■I'm worried about my family getting infected.On January 23rd, four days after the fever. Shortly after noon, I received a text message on my smartphone. From the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the ward public health center. Twenty-six hours have passed since the clinic doctor informed me that I was positive.

The instruction in the text message is to enter a health management system called HER-SYS and answer questions. Access the designated street and fill in your body temperature and physical condition. Questions such as "Do you have trouble breathing?" and "Do you have difficulty eating?" I was also asked to fill in the oxygen saturation level. What about those who don't have a pulse oximeter? The public health center's website states that they will lend pulse oximeters to "those deemed necessary," but I couldn't find any rental information in the SMS.

I measured and filled in a meter I bought online last year. Normal is over 96%, but I fluctuated between 95-98%. Around this time, I lost my voice due to a sore throat. He repeatedly coughed severely, the inflammation progressed, and his voice became hoarse. I rehydrated with hot things like ginger water and corn soup, and gargled to try and ease the pain. I waited for a call from the health department. I wanted to isolate myself from my family as soon as possible because I couldn't stop coughing.

In my head, I understood that it would not be easy to deal with the rapid increase in the number of patients. But when I think about my family getting infected, I don't feel like it. If a family member catches the disease and becomes seriously ill, it will be difficult to find a hospital in the midst of medical shortages. I remembered many news reports last summer that patients died while waiting for the public health center to respond. Although it is said that the rate of aggravation is low this time... While waiting for contact from the public health center, I tried not to leave my room and put a basin in my room. Gargle and brush your teeth here. I don't go to the washroom. Only the toilet leaves the room. When I went to the toilet, I disinfected my fingers, put on vinyl gloves, put on a mask, and returned in a short time. I did the laundry separately from my family.

My family is in close contact with me and I can't go out, so I only shop online. Cost of living is high. I was worried about my life, so I looked into whether there was anything that could be covered by injury and sickness allowance and insurance. At this rate, I will be out of work for at least 10 days. This is big. On January 24, 5 days after the chills and 3 days after the positive test. I have recovered a little. I can speak and move my body. Looking at the website of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, there is a telephone contact point where those who test positive can apply for accommodation treatment themselves before being contacted by the public health center. I called you right away. This is to tell them that they have family members who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill and request that they be quarantined as soon as possible.

Reception hours are from 9:00 to 16:00. It was hard to get through because they were busy, but after the fifth call, a male attendant appeared. When I appealed the situation, the other party said: "It's crowded, so I think the public health center will contact me tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the earliest." A call from the health department will come soon. ■ Sudden contact from the transport vehicle driver January 25th. No contact from the health department. Since he was confined to his room, he couldn't watch the news on TV, so he gathered information on his smartphone.

In the midst of this, I came across an article on the Internet that said, "Over 30,000 people are being treated at home in Tokyo! Why can't they get in when there are 2,000 vacant rooms in hotel sanatoriums?" It was just uploaded at 2pm today. According to this, on the 24th, 31,963 people were recuperating at home, a record high, and 29,490 were "under adjustment for hospitalization and medical treatment." On the other hand, it is said that more than 2,000 rooms are vacant at hotels prepared for lodgings. The low usage rate has been pointed out in the press and Congress for more than a year, but has it not improved yet?

At 6:09 pm, when it was completely dark, I received a call on my smartphone. I don't remember the number displayed. was a man. "I'm the driver. I'll be picking you up at 6:35 pm. 20 minutes from now." According to the procedure I was told, if an overnight stay was decided, the destination and pick-up time would be notified by phone the night before, and the driver should have called just before the transport vehicle arrived. Even if the driver calls you out of the blue and says he'll be there in 20 minutes...

"I have never received a call from the public health center, and I have not heard (that they will come to pick me up at this time).Is it all right?"I asked. According to the driver, another positive person will be riding in the transport vehicle, but that person has not heard anything from the public health center, and is being confirmed through the transportation company. I started packing quickly. The destination is a hotel, so if you have a change of clothes, it will be fine. However, this time, even after the pick-up time passed, there was no contact from anyone. I called the driver.

``What happened?'' ``I haven't heard back from the company. The phone rang five minutes later. It's the driver. ``Cancelled'' ``Huh? What do you mean?'' ``I don't know. Those who tested positive for the virus must have been very surprised. Then 30 minutes later I got another call. A different man this time.

"I'm Miyako. I didn't contact you because of a mistake. Your application has been canceled, so please apply again from tomorrow." Canceled? What do you mean? "Are you asking me to apply again in the last order?" "Yes. The counter is no longer open today." It's 7pm now. "What happened? I will contact the public health center, so please let me know your phone number."

``I'll let you know, but the public health center won't be answering the phone at this time.'' ``I'm sorry, but I can't stop coughing, so I want to isolate myself before my family members who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill are infected.'' ``Consideration I will." 　He coughed violently after hanging up the phone. Talking on the phone tends to make the cough worse. I called the health department just in case. Certainly no one is out. The incoming call has switched to an automated voice. ■Finally, the first call from the public health center My smartphone rang at 8:50 pm. This time it's a woman.

"It's the public health center in the ward. The capital has asked you to cancel your accommodation treatment."　It was the first call from the public health center. Moreover, I was supposed to have requested the cancellation of the accommodation treatment. "No. It's the other way around. I'm asking you to let me in as soon as possible." "Okay. I'll check with the capital." About 40 minutes later, at 9:30 pm, a female staff member from the public health center called again. "I'll be in from tomorrow. I'll be in touch from the capital."　After a while, the smartphone rang again.

"I'm in the capital. I'll be entering the facility tomorrow. I'll let you know the (pick-up) time tomorrow morning. (Entering the facility) will be in the afternoon." 　The name of the hotel was told. If you've made it this far, you'll probably be fine. I'm so tired. You'll have to wash your clothes by hand in your hotel room, so be prepared. I also saw a testimonial on the net that people with sore throats should bring a small humidifier. When I was packing up in earnest, the phone rang again. It's almost 11:00 pm. "I'm sorry I'm late. I'm in the capital. I'll let you know about the admission from tomorrow. We've decided on the accommodation you'll be staying at. The facility is..."

``Ah, I received a phone call with the same content earlier.'' ``That's right. On this day, January 25, the number of new infections in Tokyo reached 12,813, a record high. At 9:22 am on the following day, January 26th, I received a call from an unknown number. The man said, "I will deliver the food from now on. It will arrive within the day." It's a ward service that delivers food. On the 7th day, finally... Around noon, Calorie Mate jelly, soup, and sports drinks arrived. I was grateful. I thought it would have helped even more if I had had it for the first five days when my throat was the worst.

I came to pick you up at 2:30 this afternoon in a white wagon. A woman was ahead. Inside the car, the driver's seat and the back seat are separated by vinyl. The rest of the car was silent, except for the driver calling the hotel about the expected time of arrival. Considering the risk of infection. When I arrived at the hotel, there was an envelope containing the card key at the entrance, and the staff guided me through the glass to the room. Most of the people who stayed at this hotel were in their 20s and 30s, and many of them had mild coughs.

The three meals a day go to the lobby on the first floor on their own. For hygiene reasons, please pick up your lunch box within one hour of the announcement, eat it in your room, and throw away the empty box on the first floor. 2 elevators. At times, dozens of people lined up waiting for elevators. Of course, very few people exchanged words. The accommodation period is 10 days from the onset of symptoms, and it is decided to leave the hospital on the morning of the 11th day. If the fever continues, it will be extended. My onset was on January 20th, so I had to recuperate for five days until January 30th.

The other day, I was concerned about the news that ``2000 rooms in the hotel for lodging patients are vacant in Tokyo''. According to this article, the capital had secured 4,940 rooms as of the 24th, of which less than 2,700 were in use. According to data updated on the 30th of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, 3,359 people were receiving medical treatment at lodging facilities. What is the room arrangement actually like? My recuperation destination was a large high-rise hotel. As of January 27, 19 of the 68 rooms on one floor were vacant, and the occupancy rate was about 70%. On another floor, there were 53 vacant rooms with a utilization rate of about 20%, but on the 29th, the number of vacant rooms had decreased to 13.

The vacant rooms are ``disinfecting and cleaning the rooms.'' Disinfection and cleaning are performed after all the patients on one floor have left, not for each room after the patient has finished recuperating. "There are voices of anxiety about infection from companies that exchange linen" (NHK News, January 17) is considered to be a major factor. Even in this hotel, I never saw any staff other than on the first floor. ■ The situation is changing by the minute 　The situation of the new corona is changing by the moment due to the influence of the highly contagious Omicron strain. Governor Koike of Tokyo said on January 23, ``Amidst the increasing number of infected people, people with mild or no symptoms should stay at home as much as possible.'' ing.

I was allowed to isolate because I have family members who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill, but there must be many people waiting for accommodation. I feel the same way about worrying about my family. Is there still room for improvement, such as improving the usage of accommodation facilities and increasing the efficiency of office work related to communication? If you are forced to recuperate at home even if infected, stockpiling is essential. Liquid nutritious foods, thermos pots, sanitary products, pulse oximeters... It's in short supply, but it's safer to have an approved test kit.

Maybe many people who are not infected with corona are still someone else's problem. However, this outbreak of infection is unusual. We have entered a phase where neither the national government nor local governments can provide support for people other than those with severe symptoms and those at high risk. Things change by the hour, and even my experience may be outdated by the time you read it.

Toyo Keizai Online

Last update: 2/1 (Tue) 12:16

Toyo Keizai Online