Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday unveiled a revised policy for treating COVID-19 patients, reclassifying who would be admitted to hospital, following an unprecedented surge in cases that has seen national daily case numbers exceed 10,000.
However, the public was upset by the shift, as it gave the impression that only patients experiencing severe symptoms that require intensive care could be hospitalized, while those classified as having moderate symptoms would be forced to stay at home even if they had pneumonia and needed oxygen.
The government later clarified that most patients with moderate symptoms will be admitted to hospitals, as even some ruling party lawmakers demanded the guidelines be scrapped. Still, the administration’s inability to get its message across to the public and its failure to notify lawmakers and public health experts in advance generated confusion, frustration and apprehension.