A top medical organisation
consisting of thousands of Japanese
doctors has called for the Tokyo
Olympics to be cancelled due to
covid-19.
At this moment hospital workers are
exhausted on top of this, they would
find it difficult to help with the
games.
Representatives from the Tokyo
Medical Practitioners Association
said the city's hospitals are
already overwhelmed as the country
battles a spike in coronavirus
infections less than three months
from the start of the Games.
The blunt
open letter was addressed to Japan's
prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, amid
a third state of emergency in Tokyo
thanks to a jump in infections.
The number of covid-19 cases
nationwide dropped to three thousand
six hundred eighty but the number of
heavy infections hit a record
high of twelve hundred thirty five
the health ministry said.
Overall, Japan has avoided an
explosive spread of the virus
experienced by other nations.
But the government has come under
sharp criticism for its sluggish
vaccination rollout.
Only about three point five per cent
of its population of around one
hundred twenty six million has been
vaccinated, according to a Reuters
tracker.
Other health experts and medical
groups have voiced their concerns
about the Olympics.
While opinion polls and online
petitions have found the majority of
the Japanese public is opposed
to the games going ahead.
They have to listen to the public.
But they're not acting on it at
the moment. And we've seen the prime
minister's approval ratings come
down quite sharply.
So it is something that will have
an effect on the on
on the government when it comes
round to the next election.