As of Tuesday, August 9

The entire prefecture is a "BA.5 countermeasures strengthening area" Period: August 9th (Tuesday) to August 31st (Wednesday)

In this prefecture, due to the explosion of infections, the occupancy rate of hospital beds accepting new coronavirus patients exceeds 80%, which is the worst situation in the past .

Clusters have occurred at more than 20% of accepting medical institutions due to the intense infectivity of Omicron strain BA.5. In addition, there have been frequent cases in which medical staff at hospitals have become infected or have been in close contact with the virus and have to take leave of absence. As a result, hospitalization and surgery for general patients are being restricted due to the closure of wards, making it impossible to provide routine medical care.

Due to the situation of medical institutions, there are an increasing number of cases where it is difficult for ambulances to immediately transport corona and other emergency patients to hospitals.

In order not to aggravate the tightness of the medical care system in the prefecture any further and to normalize medical care in the prefecture as soon as possible, the “Shizuoka Prefecture Medical Crisis Warning” has been positioned as a “BA.5 Countermeasure Strengthening Declaration”.

As of August 8

The entire prefecture will be designated as a "BA.5 countermeasures strengthened area" , so we ask for the cooperation of all citizens in the prefecture, such as refraining from activities that pose a high risk of infection . In particular, I ask that each family take thorough self-help measures, such as " do not bring the coronavirus into your family , " "do not infect your family," and "do not spread the infection within your family."

1Request for proper medical examination

Those under the age of 60 who have been vaccinated and have no underlying diseases have a low risk of becoming severely ill with the Omicron strain . . We ask for your cooperation so that the elderly, those with underlying diseases who are more likely to become seriously ill from COVID-19, and those with emergencies other than COVID-19 can receive medical care promptly.

2 Requests to refrain from going out unnecessarily and non-urgently

Regardless of your age or the risk of aggravation , please refrain from going out to crowded places or places where the risk of infection is high . In addition, those who have judged themselves to be at risk of becoming severe, those who have opportunities to come into contact with people who are at risk of becoming severe, those who want to avoid infection as much as possible due to work or family circumstances, those who have a fever If you have subjective symptoms such as sore throat, please refrain from going out unless it is absolutely necessary.

3 Request to wear appropriate masks during conversations and meals

At BA.5, the highest level of contagion ever, there is a high risk that conversation without a mask = (equals) infection. Please only talk or eat with your family without a mask, and be sure to wear a mask when talking to people other than your family, and be sure to have a mask at dinner . If you can't have a mask dinner when you get drunk, please have a non-alcoholic one.

4Request for vaccination

From August 5th to 18th, the prefecture is holding a "week to encourage people to get vaccinated". If you are 5 years old or older and have not been vaccinated, if you are 12 years old or older and have the 3rd dose, or if you are 60 or older or under 60 and have an underlying disease and are eligible for the 4th dose but have not yet completed the vaccination, please get vaccinated as soon as possible. please.

Efforts that we would like citizens and businesses to take concretely

To all citizens of the prefecture ("self-help" efforts)

○ Appropriate examination

・Those under the age of 60 who do not have underlying diseases and have been vaccinated, the disease can be cured by resting at home and over-the-counter medicines. Please prepare cough medicine and fever reducer in advance .

・In order not to delay medical treatment for people who urgently need emergency medical care , refrain from visiting a doctor at night or on holidays if you only have mild cold symptoms. Please give me. (If you are concerned about your child's symptoms, please call #8000 (Shizuoka Children's Emergency Telephone Consultation) as necessary.)

・Emergency medical care is very tight, so please be careful of accidents such as water accidents and traffic accidents, and use air conditioning appropriately to avoid heatstroke .

○ Precautions when traveling or returning home

・Reconsider the necessity of going out to places where there is a high risk of infection due to frequent contact with other people, or visiting places where there are people with a high risk of becoming seriously ill, and refrain as much as possible .

・When going out, please be careful about actions that pose a high risk of infection at the place you visit, avoid visiting crowded places, wear a non-woven mask, wash your hands, disinfect your hands, and thoroughly ventilate the room.

○Wearing a mask

・When eating and drinking, take off your mask and talk only with family members or people you usually hang out with. Do not talk with other people when eating, and always wear a non-woven mask when talking. Please do so.

・Especially when talking with a large number of people for a long time, please ensure that everyone wears a non-woven mask . Without frequent ventilation, the risk of infection increases due to the high infectivity of BA.5.

・In order to prevent heat stroke, " masks are not required outdoors unless there are other people around " and " pre-school children do not need masks in principle ".

・Please carry a mask with you at all times so that you can put it on and take it off properly .

○ Early vaccination

・The side effects of Novavax vaccines for the third time tend to be less than those of Pfizer and Moderna. If you have refrained from taking the third vaccination due to adverse reactions, please consider Novavax vaccination .

・If you are young, please consider inoculating during the summer vacation or Obon period.

Adverse reaction frequency after the third vaccination of Novavax vaccine (as of August 1)

To all business operators (Efforts for “mutual assistance”)

○ Efforts at business sites

・Businesses should thoroughly implement basic infection prevention measures in their workplaces and stores, especially enforcing ventilation , take infection prevention measures when changing places of residence , work from home, staggered commuting times, etc. Please continue to take measures to prevent infection, such as reducing the number of cases.

○ Efforts at schools, etc.

・Thoroughly implement infection prevention measures and avoid activities that pose a high risk of infection at schools and daycare centers.

・If staff members, children, or students have cold symptoms, please refrain from club and extracurricular activities, take over-the-counter medicine (cough medicine, antipyretic, etc.), and rest at home.

○ Efforts at welfare facilities, etc.

・Business operators of welfare facilities, etc. are requested to cooperate in the early detection of positive cases by conducting regular tests once a week using the simple antigen qualitative kit distributed by the prefecture .

○ Notes on events

・Organizers of events should thoroughly implement basic infection prevention measures such as avoiding the 3Cs, create a list of participants, and use the contact-confirming app “COCOA” to understand the participants. Please try to

・When holding an event with more than 5,000 participants and a capacity rate of more than 50%, please submit an “infection prevention and safety plan” that describes specific infection prevention measures to the prefecture.

・Encourage participants to wear masks during conversations and crowded situations at the event.

Scheduled to be announced next time: Friday, August 12, 2022

*Even before the above announcement, it may be announced at any time as necessary.