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All Central General Hospital, where the cluster is expanding to the largest scale in Japan = 14, in Toda city, Saitama prefecture
The cluster of novel coronaviruses (infected population) that occurred at Toda Central General Hospital in Toda City, Saitama Prefecture, is expanding on the largest scale in Japan. The number of infected people was 313 in 18 days, approximately two months after the first confirmation of infection. The clustering of large-scale hospitals, which play a central role in community medicine, is also affecting the transport of emergency patients and the securing of beds for the new Corona. (Kiyo Iida)
◆ 165 infected staff members and 148 patients
According to the prefecture, the number of infected people in the hospital on the 18th was 165 medical staff and 148 patients. Of these, 31 patients died. Infected people were confirmed in 12 of the 16 wards.
It was on November 17 of last year that the infection of medical workers was first discovered in the hospital. The hospital responded independently, but the spread of the infection did not diminish and the number of infected people increased dramatically since late December. The hospital requested cooperation from the prefecture on the 4th of this month, and the cluster countermeasures group of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the prefecture established a joint countermeasures headquarters on the 6th.
The headquarters has established an infection control system for the hospital, such as putting on and taking off protective clothing according to zoning, and instructing not only doctors and nurses, but also laboratory technicians and rehabilitation personnel to They often come into contact with patients to wear protective clothing. Strengthening. On December 31 of last year, 29 people were infected for the first time on the 1st, but since the 10th of this month, the number has been from zero to four.
◆ Prefectural staff “There was a lot of contact between staff and patients.”
A prefectural official said the route of infection was under investigation and said: “It is thought to be related to the degree of contact between the staff and the patient. I think he was trying to take action, but it was insufficient.” Indicated. Regarding the prefecture’s response during this period, he said: “There was an infection control specialist in the hospital. (As a prefecture) I don’t think there was anything that he should have done.”
Due to the cluster outbreak, the hospital has stopped accepting new inpatients and new outpatients, and is not accepting emergency outpatients.
◆ It affects the hospitals of neighboring municipalities
As a result, patients other than Corona are increasingly being transported to hospitals in neighboring municipalities such as Kawaguchi City and Warabi City. According to the Fire Department of the city of Toda, 60% of the destinations were the Central General Hospital of Toda, but the time it takes to get to the hospital from number 119 by transport outside the city has been extended by about 10 minutes.
Additionally, hospitals in neighboring municipalities that planned to open beds for seriously ill Corona will also be able to handle emergency transportation, and the prefecture’s plan to secure Corona’s beds has been delayed.
◆ Always feeling the fear of infection …
An official from the Toda Central General Hospital told the newspaper that the number of staff infections has risen sharply since the end of last year and that the remaining human resources are being forced to deal with hospitalized patients, saying: “It is like a field hospital. “. .. “Employees always work in fear of infection,” he said.
The number of infected employees is 165, which is about 10% of all employees. “We have started to go back to work little by little, but at one point the number of staff has decreased to the point where no one has passed. Doctors who do not specialize in cardiovascular disease take turns treating patients with corona,” said a person familiar with the matter.
◆ Even if the shopkeeper wears glasses and masks, conversation is prohibited.
After the beginning of the year, when the countermeasures team from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare joined, the rules for infection control were tightened, tapes indicating the area to put on and take off protective clothing were placed near the entrance and exit of the hospital room, and a ward room was a garbage storage area for used protective equipment. It was specified in.
In another 9 days, the two week perspective, there is an instruction for more comprehensive infection control. Not only staff, but also companies going in and out, must wear glasses, and conversation is prohibited even if they wear masks in the break room and lockers. Admission to the break room was staggered and the number of people was limited.
“If we could take these steps in the early stages and perform PCR testing of all staff to find asymptomatic infected people, the infection would not have spread until now,” said a person familiar with the matter. (Toriyoshi Kondo)
