Japanese police have reported that 11 people whose deaths were deemed to be unnatural in the past month subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, media said yesterday.
Japan, with more than 260 virus-related deaths according to Japan Broadcasting Corp, has avoided the kind of explosive outbreak that has plagued the US and many European nations.
However, the WHO voiced concern about Japan’s rising number of confirmed cases, while saying they fell short of a large-scale community outbreak.
Some of the 11 deaths recorded in the month to the middle of this month involved people who died at home and one found lying in the street, the Nikkei business daily and other media said, citing the Japanese National Police Agency.
Six were in Tokyo, where virus cases have topped 3,000, from a nationwide tally of more than 11,000.
Contacted by reporters, the agency said that it could not confirm the facts before receiving questions by fax.
One case involved a man in his 60s found on a street in eastern Tokyo and taken to hospital, the Nikkei said, adding that a polymerase chain reaction test after his death from symptoms of pneumonia confirmed he had been infected.
The government has said it follows WHO guidelines for virus testing, with all suspicious pneumonia deaths tested for the respiratory disease caused by the virus.
Against the backdrop of questions whether Japan is testing sufficiently, Rakuten has started selling testing kits for companies and organizations.
The kit, developed by Genesis Healthcare, an affiliate of the e-commerce giant, would be priced at ￥14,900 (US$138) for those who do not meet the specific symptoms in Tokyo and four neighboring prefectures, the company said on Monday.
Japan still faces a shortage of masks, even though the government has started distributing two masks free to each household.
It has also drafted prisoners to make masks, with the Japanese Ministry of Justice saying that about 100 prisoners in seven facilities have turned them out since last month, following orders from private firms, with monthly output capacity of 66,000.
Ground crews of airline ANA Holdings have been making faceguards from plastic folders for workers at a boarding gate for international flights, the Asahi Shimbun said.
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