Hiroshima coronavirus nurse tests positive April 26
April 27, 2020
A nurse working on the coronavirus ward at Funairi Hospital in Hiroshima City has tested positive for the virus. A total of 8 new cases announced in the Chugoku region. Okayama asks leisure businesses to show “restraint” and applauds health workers.
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus (as of 11 pm April 26) in Hiroshima Prefecture is now 148 and 226 across the 5 prefectures of the Chugoku Region.
| Coronavirus cases in Chugoku Region as of April 26, 2020 | ||||
| Hiroshima | Yamaguchi | Okayama | Shimane | Tottori |
| 148 | 31 | 22 | 22 | 3 |
| +2 | +0 | +1 | +5 | +0 |
| 2 deaths | ||||
Coronavirus nurse tests positive in Hiroshima City
A nurse at Funairi Hospital who works on Hiroshima City’s designated coronavirus ward tested positive for coronavirus on April 25, it was announced yesterday. This is the first such reported case in the Chugoku Region. The nurse, whose age and gender have not been released, developed a fever and felt fatigued while off duty on the evening of April 24 and was hospitalized yesterday. They are said to have light symptoms.
Two of the nurse’s family members have been tested with negative results. Currently, approximately 20 staff are working on the ward which holds 20 patients. As all the staff wear protective gear and are extremely diligent about the enforcement preventative measures, the nurse’s colleagues are not considered to be “close contacts” and there are no plans to test them unless they start to show symptoms.
Somewhat unbelievably, Hiroshima City officials felt it necessary to urge people to refrain from disparaging health workers and their family members who contract the virus while working to care for coronavirus patients.
Source: Chugoku Shinbun | Hiroshima City press conference video
Hiroshima Prefecture’s 148th coronavirus case announced
Elsewhere in Hiroshima Prefecture, a woman has tested positive for coronavirus. Location, age and other details have not been released. As the woman had had close contact with another coronavirus patient, she was tested on April 12 and the result was negative. She was retested on April 25 after developing a fever. She is the 148th confirmed case in Hiroshima Prefecture.
Source: Chugoku Shinbun
Hiroshima City coronavirus patient discharged
Hiroshima City announced that the a man who was transferred by his company from Fukuoka to Hiroshima who tested positive for coronavirus on April 7 has been discharged after testing negative on April 24 and April 25.
Source: Chugoku Shinbun
Okayama: new case, call for restraint and show of support for health care workers
A self-employed man in his 50s tested positive for coronavirus in Tsuyama in Okayama Prefecture. He is the 22nd case in the prefecture. He is the husband of a woman, also in her 50s, who works part-time at a “home center” in Innoshō who tested positive for the virus on April 24.
3 other family members, who do not live with them, have no shown any symptoms, as yet.
Source: Chugoku Shinbun
Okayama calls for “restraint”
On April 24, the governor of Okayama, made a request to pachinko parlors and other leisure facilities, as well as hotels and resorts to “exercise restraint” between April 25 and May 6. The prefectural government is concerned about people coming into Okayama from outside the prefecture during the Golden Week holiday which begins later this week. There have been reports of people traveling to Okayama to play pachinko from surrounding prefectures where the parlors have closed in response to local government pressure. Okayama hotels and resorts are also reported to have been receiving Golden Week bookings.
The prefectural government reportedly has no plans to compensate businesses that accede to the request for reduced revenue during this time.
Source: Sanyo News
“Friday Ovation” shows support for health care workers
Also on April 24, inspired by public shows of gratitude in other parts of the world, employees at the Okayama Prefectural office spent several minutes applauding local health care workers. Okayama Prefecture plans to hold the “Friday Ovation” every Friday at noon. About 20 staff stood took part in the kick off clap in front of the prefectural office. The mayor of Okayama City also took part, clapping from the balcony of City Hall for a minute or so. That evening, Okayama Castle’s tower was lit up with blue lights in a similar show of support.
Source: Sanyo News
Matsue bar coronavirus cluster jumps to new city in Shimane Prefecture
The cluster of coronavirus cases centered on Matsue bar BUZZ continues to spread with 5 new cases confirmed in the city of Izumo. All 5 cases are family members who live with a man in his 30s (a bar BUZZ customer) who tested positive on April 25. The family members are in their 80s, 50s, 20s and one is a child of pre-school age. All 5 have either light or no symptoms.
It has emerged that the man in his 30s tested negative for coronavirus on April 10, but had further contact with other customers and staff during the 14 days he was asked to self-isolate. 3 positive cases have been confirmed among this group since the first round of contact tracing.
This brings the number of cases in Shimane Prefecture to 22, all related to this one cluster.
Source: Chugoku Shinbun
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