The Japanese Ministry of Health has decided to stop collecting and publishing daily data on new COVID-19 cases, The Asahi Shimbun reported on February 10.
Under the new policy, the ministry will collect data from designated healthcare organizations only once a week. The new reporting policy will go into effect on May 8, 2023.
The National Institute of Infectious Diseases will release data each week. The ministry said it was still discussing what details to release to the public, including the number of deaths from COVID-19.
This method of data collection is called “fixed point” observation and is used to collect seasonal influenza statistics.
For influenza, the ministry is asking some 5,000 health organizations across the country to submit weekly reports to local governments. The reports include the number of people with influenza, their age and gender.
The new policy was discussed by experts from the Ministry’s working group to combat COVID-19. Some members suggested that the ministry develop guidelines, including a warning or alert system, that the public can use to determine when to take countermeasures against the coronavirus.
Source: Rossa Primavera
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.