Associate Professor of Political Science, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA.
Project Associate Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
J Aging Soc Policy. 2021 Jul-Oct;33(4-5):444-458. doi: 10.1080/08959420.2021.1924342. Epub 2021 May 14.
Japan's initial response to COVID-19 was similar to that of the US. However, the number of deaths in Japan has remained very low. Japan also stands out for the relatively low incidence of viral transmission in Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs) compared to both European countries and the United States. We argue that Japan's institutional decision to lockdown Long-Term Care facilities as early as mid-February - weeks earlier than most European countries and the US - contributed to lowering the number of deaths in LTCFs. We highlight a few lessons from the Japanese experience: (i) the presence of hierarchically organized government agencies whose sole missions are elderly care; (ii) the presence of effective communication channels between LTCFs and the regulatory authorities; and (iii) the well-established routine protocols of prevention and control in LTCFs.
日本对 COVID-19 的最初反应与美国相似。然而，日本的死亡人数一直保持在很低的水平。与欧洲国家和美国相比，日本的长期护理机构（LTCF）中的病毒传播发病率也相对较低。我们认为，日本在 2 月中旬就决定封锁长期护理机构的机构决策——比大多数欧洲国家和美国早了数周——有助于降低 LTCF 的死亡人数。我们从日本的经验中总结出几点教训：（i）存在着等级化组织的政府机构，其唯一使命是照顾老年人；（ii）LTCF 与监管机构之间存在有效的沟通渠道；以及（iii）LTCF 中已建立的常规预防和控制措施。
