Extraordinary press conference by the governor August 5, 2021 (Thursday)

(Governor) Yesterday, the number of new positive cases of the new coronavirus in the prefecture reached a record high of 752. A meeting of the Coronavirus Infectious Disease Control Headquarters was held in writing, and the Fukuoka Corona Special Warning was issued. In conjunction with this, we have requested the national government to consider applying emergency measures to this prefecture, and we would like to report this to the citizens of the prefecture.

First of all, the infection situation in this prefecture. The number of new positive cases exceeded 100 and reached a record high, but in the fourth wave, after reaching 156 on April 14, it reached 634 on May 12. In other words, it took a month last time from over 100 people to reach a record high. However, this time, after reaching 136 on July 21st, the number increased to 752 on August 4th, a record high. This is two weeks. In other words, it is about twice the pace, and the number of new positive cases is increasing at a pace that greatly exceeds the previous fourth wave.

Next, the number of positive people per 100,000 people in the last week. Compare with the peak of the 4th wave on May 12th. At this time, 44.4 people were 62.3 people, about 1.4 times compared to the previous week. This time, 26.7 people became 66.6 people in comparison with the previous week, and it has increased about 2.5 times in one week.

Looking at this by region, the number of new positive people per 100,000 population in the last three days was 138.4 in Fukuoka City. Looking at the situation in other areas of Fukuoka, Kurume City, Kitakyushu City, Chikugo Area, Chikuho Area, and Kitakyushu Area, compared to July 30, when the last Task Force Meeting was held, except for the Kitakyushu Area. It is an increasing trend in all regions.

Next is the situation of those who are hospitalized. As the number of new positives is increasing, the number of hospitalized patients is also increasing. As of August 4, the number has doubled from 241 a week ago to 475.

The number of severe cases does not show a tendency to increase significantly. However, the number of people with moderate symptoms has increased by about 2.5 times in one week, from 70 to 173 people. increase.

Next, looking at the current infection status in light of the indicators of the Fukuoka Corona Warning, first of all, the number of new positive cases continues to increase on the 7-day moving average. Under these circumstances, the number of 3-day moving averages is 540 as of August 4th. This is well above the standard of 180 people to issue a special warning.

Next is the bed occupancy rate. As of August 4, it is 33.6%, and the standard for issuing an emergency warning is 30%, so this is also higher. And the critical care bed occupancy rate. This is 4.9% as of August 3rd. Of the 201 beds secured, 10 are currently being used. The target for the activation of the alarm is 10%, and the occupancy rate of critically ill beds is below the target.

Next, looking at the stage judgment indicators shown by the country's subcommittee, there are 7 indicators, but in this prefecture, 4 of them are equivalent to stage 4.

There is concern about a significant increase in the number of positive people and aggravation of the disease. Looking at the current status of new positive cases, nearly 70% of those in their 30s or younger are under the age of 30, and there is a lack of vaccination among young people. As for the positive rate of the highly contagious delta strain, the positive rate of the delta strain was 16.4% in early July. However, it is 56.7% most recently, and it is considered that the Delta strain, which is highly infectious, is in progress.

And the number of people with moderate symptoms is increasing. As a result, there is concern that the number of severely ill patients will increase in the future. And we have three consecutive holidays from August 7th. Then we enter the Obon period. We are asking people to refrain from various activities, but we are entering a time when the number of people coming and going will increase. Given this, if the current trend continues, there is a risk that the situation will be more serious than we have ever experienced. In addition, the peak number of hospitalized patients tends to arrive later than the peak number of new positive cases, so there is concern that the medical care system will be strained in the future. For this reason, we will make a comprehensive judgment based on the opinions of experts and discussions with municipalities, and will issue the "Fukuoka Corona Special Warning" today.

Also, to reiterate, the number of new positives on May 7, the last time it was decided to apply emergency measures, was 46.1 per 100,000 people in the last week. This time, the situation is already worse than the previous state of emergency declaration. And looking at each region in the prefecture, there is a tendency to expand not only in priority measures areas but in almost all regions, and the number of new positive cases is equivalent to Stage 4 in almost all regions.

The bed occupancy rate is 33%, so far it remains in Stage 3. However, if the current situation continues, our estimate is that by August 9th we will reach over 50% and reach Stage 4.

In the future, there is a concern that the rate of bed occupancy for severely ill patients, which is currently low at 4.9%, will be squeezed as the number of moderately ill patients becomes more severe. Based on this, and based on the future prospects of this prefecture, we have just requested the government to apply emergency measures.

As a measure associated with the activation of this special warning, in principle, prefectural facilities will be closed. As for other measures, business operators recently issued a coronavirus warning, and I believe that the implementation of priority measures to prevent the spread of the virus has caused confusion and confusion among business operators. I am very sorry. Until the state of emergency measures are applied this time, we would like to basically continue the current measures in order to avoid such confusion and confusion. Based on this, we will consider expanding the areas where priority measures are taken to prevent the spread of infection, etc., as necessary, while monitoring the government's response. And the number of people positive for the highly contagious delta strain is increasing. After all, the current increase in the number of positive people indicates an unprecedented explosive expansion of infection. With the three consecutive holidays and the Obon Festival approaching, I would like to once again ask the citizens of the prefecture for their support. Please refrain from going out unnecessarily, including during the day. In particular, please refrain from going out after 20:00. Please refrain from unnecessary and non-urgent travel across prefectures. Also, when eating and drinking, whether in a shop or at home, please take thorough measures to prevent infection, such as eating in a small group for a short time, not speaking loudly, and wearing a mask when talking. Considering the spread of droplets, caution is required both indoors and outdoors. Currently, there are clusters of outdoor dinners such as barbecues with friends and acquaintances who are not usually together. Please take thorough measures to prevent infection. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience caused to the restaurants and restaurants, but the transition period to priority measures such as preventing the spread of the virus ended yesterday. From today, business hours are until 20:00, and please do not offer alcoholic beverages. Thank you for your cooperation.

Also, this is a call to business owners. We are calling for staggered commuting and working from home, but looking at the recent infection status and cluster outbreaks, clusters are occurring at workplaces and workplaces. It is necessary to pay attention to the switching of places such as rest rooms and smoking rooms. The same goes for the changing rooms. I would like to ask all companies to call on their employees to take thorough infection control measures both inside and outside the workplace.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to the citizens of the prefecture. We are very sorry for causing trouble to business operators again, but we are careful and careful to protect not only you but also your family, friends, lovers, colleagues at work, and everyone around you. We ask that you act responsibly. For business operators, we have various support measures such as cooperation money, monthly support money, and rent support. As a prefecture, we are working to make our publicity easy to understand, so please take advantage of this kind of support system. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. It's a critical moment. Any further spread of infection must be stopped. Thank you for your cooperation.