＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
I previously wrote an article about “Professor Yasushi Takahashi of International University of Health and Welfare’s New Coronavirus Hypothesis.” Watching the daily reports of the “significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases,” I feel like the media is unanimously “stoking unnecessary anxiety and fear among the Japanese people about the COVID-19 pandemic.” I even wonder if this is an “infodemic.”
“Infodemic,” a play on the word “pandemic,” which refers to the explosive spread of infection, refers to a state in which a large amount of unfounded information spreads, causing panic-like confusion and anxiety.
This excessive reaction to COVID-19 has led to the “self-restraint police” and harassment of people returning home.
1. The media’s daily announcements of the “number of new cases” are meaningless.
Every day, television news and information programs are reporting a significant increase in the “number of new cases” by prefecture. These “number of new cases” refers to the “number of people who test positive for PCR,” but this number also includes people who are “asymptomatic” or “minimally asymptomatic.”
Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in PCR tests, so it is only natural that the number of PCR-positive cases is increasing. In that sense, I believe that announcing the number of new infections is not very meaningful.
Some people argue that we should increase the number of PCR tests even more, but that will only lead to strain on the medical system and a collapse of the medical system.
In an attempt to reduce the increase in the number of PCR-positive cases, there is a trend to arbitrarily request businesses to shorten their business hours, suspend or suspend operations, and to trace infection routes and conduct PCR tests widely.
However, I believe that now is the time to consider triage and herd immunity, which prioritize medical care.
2. The media should limit itself to announcing the trend in the number of seriously ill patients and deaths every day
Announcing the number of new infections = the number of PCR-positive cases could actually lead to a misinterpretation of the true extent of the coronavirus pandemic.
Rather, I think the media should limit themselves to announcing the trend in the number of seriously ill and fatalities every day. This would make it clear that the situation has not worsened since around April, when the state of emergency was in effect, and that a second wave is not on the way.
Yomiuri TV’s Jiro Karafuto presented a similar opinion on TBS’s “Gutto Luck!” on July 8, using a graph showing the trend in the number of seriously ill cases.
According to the graph, the number of seriously ill cases in Tokyo was on a downward trend, from 105 on April 28, to 39 on May 25, and 8 on July 6.
For reference, below are data and graphs compiled by NHK showing the number of infected, seriously ill, and fatalities.
3. Prefectural governors should limit their announcements to the “trend in the number of seriously ill and fatalities”
I believe that announcements by prefectural governors, which form the basis for media reports, should be limited to reporting the “trend in the number of seriously ill and fatalities.” At the very least, the “trend in the number of seriously ill and fatalities” should be clearly stated along with the “number of new infections.”
Furthermore, I believe that counting seriously ill and fatalities primarily due to underlying conditions should be excluded, as this could lead to a misinterpretation of the actual situation and incorrect policy decisions. Failure to do so would result in an exaggeration of the severity of the “coronavirus crisis.”
I would like all prefectural governors to take responsibility for reporting the “daily trend in the number of seriously ill and fatalities,” and for Minister in charge Nishimura or Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Kato to compile this information.
I also hope that the media will use this data in their reporting going forward.
4. The government should ease public anxiety and clearly articulate the correct approach to COVID-19.
Whether Professor Yasushi Takahashi’s “new COVID-19 hypothesis” is correct or not will ultimately have to wait until the pandemic subsides, but I believe that a 180-degree paradigm shift, as described above, is essential to properly understand the current COVID-19 situation in Japan.
It’s like a Copernican revolution, shifting from a geocentric to a heliocentric approach.
Furthermore, in order to change the mindset of the media and many citizens, who are trapped in a stereotypical binary of “COVID-19 infection prevention” or “economic activity,” the government should clearly articulate the “correct approach to COVID-19” and ease public anxiety.