Citizens’ access to tests coronavirus facilitate vending machines in Japan.
Getting a COVID-19 test is not always a simple process. Part of the solution to this problem – as well as for a number of basic daily needs in Tokyo – became the simple vending machines.
Wanting to save manpower and resources in hospitals, the government conducts only 40,000 PCR tests a day, a quarter of its capacity, and limits them to only those who have several symptoms or are more likely to become infected.
As a result, citizens rely heavily on private clinics or obtain PCR tests from other sources.
The response of the citizens is huge
Test vending machines offer consumers the opportunity to avoid overcrowding in clinics or waiting for an appointment, said Hindeki Takemura, head of the Laketown Takenoko Otolaryngology Clinic, which has set up seven vendors in the greater Tokyo area.
“Japan is doing an absurdly low number test “PCR and therefore more and more people cannot know if they have a simple cold or coronavirus,” Takemura told Reuters, citing APE-MPE. “Without PCR tests, no diagnosis is possible and I really feel we need to do more so that citizens can be diagnosed early and isolated early,” he said.
Takemura said there had been a huge response from citizens since the vending machines were set up and that in some cases the money raised had to be deducted twice a day.
Since then the demand has somewhat declined as the third wave of cases weakened in the midst of the state of emergency. New cases in Tokyo have averaged 250 in the last seven days, compared with more than 2,000 in early January.
The death toll from coronavirus in Japan is 8,283.
Each vending machine has about 60 tests sold for 4,500 yen ($ 40) each. Users then send a saliva sample for processing.
Japan has about 4.1 million vending machines in operation, most in the world per capita, according to the industry organization.
In addition to vending machines, PCR tests are becoming more and more available to the public through their sale in pharmacies and online.
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