# Japan’s COVID-19 cases defy Asia rebound, yet fears remain for winter wave Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2021-12-09 Category: NEWS Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news Meta Title: Japan's COVID-19 Infections Falling, Experts Baffled Meta Description: Discover the latest on Japan's low infection rates, potential immunity hypothesis, and strategies for pandemic control in this insightful article. URL: https://financedigest.com/japans-covid-19-cases-defy-asia-rebound-yet-fears-remain-for-winter-wavehtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/2021-12-09t030656z1lynxmpehb802qrtroptp4health-coronavirus-japan-1736836617498-compressed.jpg) By Rocky Swift TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s COVID-19 infections are falling in contrast with rebounds in other parts of Asia, baffling experts. New daily infections have slowed to fewer than one per million people, the least among major economies except China, and fatalities have fallen to zero in recent days. [South Korea](https://www.financedigest.com/south-korea-has-not-supplied-lethal-weapons-to-ukraine-president-says.html "South Korea has not supplied lethal weapons to Ukraine, president says"), with similar vaccination coverage, is seeing record infections. [Cases remain elevated in Singapore and are rising again in Australia](https://www.financedigest.com/australia-drops-landmark-criminal-cartel-case-against-citi-deutsche.html "Australia drops landmark criminal cartel case against Citi, Deutsche") as authorities there relax stringent controls on movement. One new hypothesis to explain the divergence is that the type of coronavirus dominant in Japan evolved in a way that short-circuited its ability to replicate. Ituro Inoue, a professor at Japan’s National Institute of Genetics, said that subvariant of Delta, known as AY.29, now may be conferring some immunity in the population. I think AY.29 is protecting us from other strains,” Inoue said, [cautioning that his research remained](https://www.financedigest.com/iran-open-for-business-but-caution-remains-the-watchword.html "Iran: ‘open for business’ – but caution remains the watchword") a theory. “I’m not 100% confident.” Paul Griffin, a professor at the University of Queensland, said differences in case loads between countries resulted from a complex mix of weather, population density, and varying [strategies to fight the pandemic](https://www.financedigest.com/four-digitalization-strategies-for-banks-during-the-pandemic-and-beyond.html "Four Digitalization Strategies for Banks During the Pandemic and Beyond"). We do [need to try and take learnings](https://www.financedigest.com/what-investors-need-to-learn-from-germanys-stock-market-crash.html "What investors need to learn from Germany’s stock market crash") away from other countries, but we shouldn’t assume the same experience from country to country, because there are all those variables,” Griffin said. Some countries are using strategies in addition to vaccination to control the spread, whether it’s simple measures on hand hygiene, social distancing, and the use of [masks and whether that’s mandatory](https://www.financedigest.com/mcdonalds-makes-masks-mandatory-for-all-customers-staff.html "McDonald’s makes masks mandatory for all customers, staff") or voluntary. Japan never locked down in the way that many countries did, but it also never let up on behavioural edicts and border restrictions employed before vaccines arrived. Wearing masks and personal hygiene rituals are still the same and important,” said Kazuaki Jindai, a [researcher at Tohoku University](https://www.financedigest.com/bitcoin-nonprofit-bitgive-announces-research-collaboration-with-university-of-edinburgh.html "Bitcoin Nonprofit BitGive Announces Research Collaboration with University of Edinburgh"). “The vaccine is a crucial aspect of prevention but not the silver bullet.” Even accounting for vaccines and masking, some think the speed of the decline of cases in Japan is a matter of timing. Japan’s late start on [vaccination means that the potency of the shots](https://www.financedigest.com/germanys-vaccine-panel-says-one-covid-shot-enough-for-children.html "Germany’s vaccine panel says one COVID shot enough for children") are still strong. Others point to seasonal trends, that the virus tends to crest and fall in two-month intervals. WINTER IS COMING Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is leaving little to chance as Japan enters its winter months, which last [year saw a deadly infection wave](https://www.financedigest.com/three-waves-of-fintech-disruption-leading-trends-for-the-year-ahead.html "Three waves of Fintech disruption: Leading trends for the year ahead") that started in the colder north. He ordered borders shut last week to keep out the Omicron variant of the virus, discovered four times so far in Japan. In contrast, [Australia is going ahead with plans to reopen](https://www.financedigest.com/freedom-day-sydney-reopens-as-australia-looks-to-live-with-covid-19.html "‘Freedom Day’: Sydney reopens as Australia looks to live with COVID-19") the economy. Now that the country has [hit its vaccination targets](https://www.financedigest.com/julius-baer-2022-profits-fall-as-it-hits-business-cycle-targets.html "Julius Baer 2022 profits fall as it hits business cycle targets") and with the arrival of COVID-19 therapeutics, it is time to tolerate an uptick in cases, Griffin said. “Hopefully locking down is something that we reserve for extenuating circumstances,” he said. Whatever the cause of the decline in cases in Japan, Kishida says it is important to [prepare for the worst](https://www.financedigest.com/uk-insolvency-restrictions-hoping-for-the-best-but-preparing-for-the-worst.html "UK Insolvency Restrictions – Hoping for the Best but Preparing for the Worst?"). Booster shots started last week, and the government has increased hospital capacity by more than 30% since some patients died at [home during a fifth wave in August](https://www.financedigest.com/august-the-most-popular-month-to-start-a-holiday-home-search-reveals-portal.html "AUGUST THE MOST POPULAR MONTH TO START A HOLIDAY HOME SEARCH REVEALS PORTAL"), the worst so far. Researcher Jindai welcomes those preparations but [worries about how they will be implemented and whether Japan can shore up its management of healthcare data](https://www.financedigest.com/european-shares-edge-higher-on-healthcare-lift-weak-china-data-stokes-worries.html "European shares edge higher on healthcare lift, weak China data stokes worries"), which has been a weak point. “If the ICU beds are full, that means all downstream healthcare will be compromised,” said Jindai, who also works as a physician in Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo. “Until we have the sixth wave in front of us, we can’t be sure if those measures worked or not.” (Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Stephen Coates) --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---