Status: 07/29/2021 1:38 p.m.
The corona situation around the Olympics is coming to a head: Japan is reporting more and more new infections and warns of overloading the health system. Infected Olympians speak of “inhuman” quarantine conditions.
In Japan and especially in Tokyo, new corona infections are increasing rapidly. The Japanese capital today reported a new high of new cases for the third day in a row. 3865 new infections with the coronavirus were recorded, twice as many as a week ago. The Olympic organizers registered a new daily high with 24 cases around the Games.
This is why the Japanese authorities are concerned about the resilience of the health system. “We have never seen the infection spread to this extent,” cabinet chief Katsunobu Kato told journalists.
“The greatest risk is a lack of awareness of the crisis”
A senior government medical advisor gave possible reasons for the increase in numbers. “While almost nothing helps slow the infections down, there are many factors that can speed them up,” Shigeru Omi said, referring to the Olympics and summer vacation. “The greatest risk is the lack of awareness of the crisis, without which the infections can spread further and the medical systems are severely stressed.”
According to other experts, the increase in the numbers is mainly due to the delta variant of the virus. So far there is no evidence that the pathogen is transmitted from Olympic participants to the general public.
IOC is confident
Richard Budgett, medical director of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is confident that “the Olympic Games will take place without prejudice to secondary and hospital care so vital to the people of Japan.” He said infected athletes were cared for by medical staff on their teams and at a clinic in the Olympic Village.
The number of infections and deaths in Japan is still significantly lower than in many other countries, but the seven-day incidence continues to rise and currently stands at 28 per 100,000 people nationwide. In Tokyo, the incidence is 88. This is based on data from Johns Hopkins University.
Criticism of quarantine conditions
There has been criticism of the quarantine conditions from infected athletes. For example from the German professional cyclist Simon Geschke. The 35-year-old has been in a quarantine hotel in Tokyo since Saturday after testing positive just before the games started the day before. In several interviews, he criticized the circumstances in the accommodation assigned to him.
Professional cyclist Geschke criticized the circumstances of his quarantine. (Archive)
Image: picture alliance / SvenSimon
The Dutch skateboarder Candy Jacobs described the conditions there as “inhuman” in a video message from the quarantine hotel. The technical director of the Dutch delegation, Maurits Hendriks, described the circumstances for the athletes in hotel quarantine as “unacceptable”. In addition to the food, which is more geared towards Japanese needs, he complained about the small size of the rooms, in which no window can be opened, and the lack of daylight.
IOC assures support for infected people
The IOC has now assured support for the athletes concerned. Work is being carried out to ensure that the “processes are improved,” said Kirsty Coventry, head of the IOC’s athletes’ commission. You are in contact with the athletes concerned, their complaints are addressed. However, the IOC official also pointed out that the quarantine hotels were facilities of the Japanese government.
On the one hand, IOC medical director Budgett showed compassion for the athletes concerned. Landing in the quarantine hotel is “really hard”. But the regulations said that athletes who tested positive would be isolated. “There’s no getting around it,” he said, but added: “Everything is being done to support them.” Still, the isolation means a lot of stress.
According to official figures, as of July 1 through Wednesday, 198 people who are accredited for the Tokyo Games have tested positive for the coronavirus, including 23 athletes.