Japan is expected to test about 10,000 people for coronavirus antibodies in June to grasp the scale of the pandemic's scope in the nation and to determine if collective immunity is being developed, media reported on Friday, citing Health Minister Katsunobu Kato
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th May, 2020) Japan is expected to test about 10,000 people for coronavirus antibodies in June to grasp the scale of the pandemic's scope in the nation and to determine if collective immunity is being developed, media reported on Friday, citing Health Minister Katsunobu Kato.
The tests will be conducted in the worst-affected localities, such as Tokyo and Osaka, as well as in those with fewer COVID-19 cases, to compare and contrast, according to the Kyodo news agency, citing Kato.
The Japanese authorities are expecting to identify the number of people who have recovered from COVID-19, which will help them determine the number of required drugs and vaccines, as well as predict the number of cases if there is a second wave of the coronavirus infection.
Currently, medicines from five pharmaceutical companies are being reviewed in Japan. The first plasma tests have revealed that the percentage of positive results in the country is 0.4-0.6 percent.
So far, Japan has recorded 16,120 COVID-19 cases and 697 deaths, while almost 10,000 patients have recovered.
On Thursday, the country lifted the coronavirus-related restrictions in 39 out of the 47 prefectures, as the infection rate has slowed. The lockdown will remain in place until the end of May in Tokyo, in Hokkaido and several other prefectures.
