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On November 10, 2020, the Prime Minister held the 45th meeting of the Novel Coronavirus Response Headquarters at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, the participants discussed the response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Following the discussion, the Prime Minister said,

“Regarding the infection situation of the novel coronavirus, the number of patients that newly tested positive frequently exceeds 1,000 cases per day, and we must respond with the greatest possible vigilance.

The current occupancy rate of the hospital beds we have currently secured still remains at around 30% even in prefectures experiencing the spread of infections. In order to protect the lives and health of the public, the Government will put in place necessary measures, which are based on our experiences to date, ahead of time.

In the areas where infections are increasing, the Government intends to firmly support the initiatives of local governments to prevent the spread of infections, including by conducting large-scale and intensive testing, dispatching experts on counter-cluster measures, and coordinating the dispatch of public health nurses to other local authorities in need.

In addition, in light of the recent infection situation, we received an emergency proposal from the Subcommittee on Novel Coronavirus Disease Control, which states that the public, local governments and the national government must take concrete actions in their capacities so as  to reduce infections swiftly and prevent medical treatment structures from being overburdened.

Taking into account this proposal, the Government will implement a more in-depth cluster infection response such that relevant parties collaborate with each other and introduce effective countermeasures and support in response to the characteristics of each cluster. In addition, our analyses to date have revealed the five scenes where the risk of infection increases. By paying particular care to these scenes in our daily lives and workplaces, it is possible to significantly reduce the risk of infections. Accordingly, we will strengthen our communication efforts and steadily implement countermeasures to prevent infections.

Thanks to the standardization of treatment methods and other factors, the case fatality rate and the severity rate are both decreasing. As research and development are making strides at pharmaceutical companies both at home and abroad regarding vaccines, we are truly bringing together the wisdom of humankind and advancing our response against the novel coronavirus.

In preparation for the upcoming winter, I ask each minister to make use of the scientific expertise we gained through our response to the spread of infections until now, and continue to make all-out efforts in undertaking these countermeasures, in order to balance the prevention of the spread of infections and resumption of socio-economic activities.”