Japan’s Osaka buckles under Covid onslaught, doctors warn of ‘system collapse’

Hospitals in Japan’s Osaka are under intense pressure with the city witnessing a rise in number of coronavirus cases. The doctors are warning of “system collapse”, with the hospitals running out of beds and ventilators.

Hospitals in Japan's second largest city of Osaka are buckling under a huge wave of new coronavirus infections, running out of beds and ventilators as exhausted doctors warn of a "system collapse", and advise against holding the Olympics this summer. Japan's western region home to 9 million people is suffering the brunt of the fourth wave of the pandemic, accounting for a third of the nation's death toll in May, although it constitutes just 7% of its population. The speed at which Osaka's healthcare system was overwhelmed underscores the challenges of hosting a major global sports event in two months' time, particularly as only about half of Japan's medical staff have completed inoculations.