Even if people infected with the new omicron variant of the novel coronavirus tend to have a lower risk of becoming seriously ill than those infected with earlier types of the virus, the variant could spread explosively. It is definitely necessary to contain infections and minimize the impact on society.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has announced measures against the omicron variant. In addition to shortening the interval for booster vaccine shots and strengthening a system for infected people to recuperate at home, the government plans to keep in place until the end of February current border control measures that prohibit new entries by foreign nationals in principle.
Vaccine boosters have been started, mainly for medical workers and the elderly, but only 7% of the population has completed the booster shots. In Okinawa Prefecture, doctors and nurses have been absent from work in growing numbers, mainly due to being infected with the omicron variant themselves, seriously affecting medical services in the prefecture.
