Japan to Count COVID Cases Using Method for Seasonal Flu
Japanese health authorities say they will start counting coronavirus infections using the same method they do for cases of seasonal influenza.
About 5,000 medical institutions nationwide disclose their data on the flu once a week.
An expert panel of the health ministry is set to convene next month to discuss implementing the same approach for the coronavirus.
The panel will also discuss how to pick the institutions that will report the cases.
Current measures stipulate that all cases of COVID-19 must be reported.
Starting May 8, the government will reclassify COVID-19 as a disease on par with the flu.
Currently, the coronavirus is in the second-highest of five tiers. The seasonal flu is in the lowest.
Health officials say local authorities will continue genome analysis to monitor the possible emergence of new variants.
The health ministry is also set to look into new ways to grasp the number of coronavirus-related deaths.
