Dec 09 (Japan Times) - The government will dispatch nurses from the Self-Defense Forces to Asahikawa in Hokkaido, as the city faces a shortage of health care workers due to a recent spike in coronavirus infections, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Tuesday.
The minister announced the SDF nurses’ dispatch in response to requests made by Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki earlier in the day.
Asahikawa, with a population of some 330,000, confirmed 50 new virus infections on Tuesday, a record daily figure, and six deaths attributed to COVID-19.
The central Hokkaido city has recently seen a series of cluster infections, including at some main hospitals. As of Tuesday, 67% of hospital beds in the city for COVID-19 patients were occupied, after a total of about 440 people have contracted the virus at two hospitals.
