Great moments in Japanese TV's Covid reporting

An example from May 2021

The following report was broadcast on 15 May 2021 and can still be viewed on the Nippon TV website along with its transcription.

Increasing household transmission from children leading to parents developing severe Covid

Looks like old Norihisa was right. Close the schools! Jab the kids!

But before we do that, let’s take a look at the broadcast.

This women in her 60s is on mechanical ventilation and requires 3 nurses to care for her.

This man in his 60s is on an ECMO, an artificial lung. He’s the women’s husband.  

Doctor: “It’s household transmission. People infecting relatives they live with.”

That would seem to be an obvious consequence of the government and media telling people to stay home, no?

The couple’s son in his 30s, who they live with, tested positive for Covid.  They were tested as close contacts and also tested positive. Their conditions worsened during home recuperation.

In his 30s?! Isn’t the use of “children” in the title perhaps a wee bit misleading?

Doctor: “Cases of (young people) infecting their relatives, and parents, grannies, and granddads developing severe disease are rising exceptionally.”  

For context, there were 29 Covid patients on mechanical ventilation in Kanagawa Prefecture (pop 9.24 million), where this report was taken, on the day of this broadcast (5/15). The growth in severe cases can hardly be called exceptional.

[https://crisis.ecmonet.jp/]

Doctor “If a wave bigger than the third comes, there’s a possibility the medical system will actually collapse, so I’d like everyone to behave in a way that’ll protect the medical system”

I’d like to think he’s means behaviours with clear health benefits like getting out to the house to do some exercise and increasing one’s vitamin D level, but the average Japanese TV viewer would more likely take his words to mean wearing a mask at home.

Also note that he doesn’t mention early out-patient treatment despite the fact the couple got worse during home isolation. Even now, rather than ivermectin, zinc, or vitamin supplements, this is what the Tokyo Metropolitan Government currently sends to people isolating at home for 10 days after testing positive. 

Yep, nothing says “nutrition” like ready-meals and biscuits. We’ll hopefully look at more great moments in Japanese TV’s Covid reporting in future posts.