TOPLINE One person involved in the Tokyo Paralympics has been hospitalized with Covid-19, the games’ organizing committee announced on Thursday, an incident that takes place amid Japan’s worst surge in infections since the start of the pandemic which has severely strained its medical resources.
KEY FACTS
According to the games’ organizing committee, the hospitalized individual was a foreign individual but not an athlete.
The patient is not displaying severe symptoms, organizing committee spokesperson Masanori Takaya added.
The organizers also reported 15 new Covid-19 cases linked to the games, including two athletes residing in the Games village.
Since the start of the games on Tuesday, at least five Paralympians have tested positive for Covid-19.
The event featuring over 4,400 athletes is taking place at a time when Japan witnesses its worst Covid-19 outbreak, fueled by the more infectious delta variant.
According to Kyodo News, health experts have warned that the country’s medical system is close to a breaking point with hospital beds becoming scarcer.
BIG NUMBER
184. That’s the total number Covid-19 cases that have been linked to the Tokyo Paralympics since August 12, Kyodo News reports.
KEY BACKGROUND
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) claimed that the Olympic games, which ended earlier this month, did not aggravate Tokyo’s Covid outbreak. But health officials remained skeptical and tensions between them and the games’ organizers have remained high. The latest controversy has emerged around IOC chief Thomas Bach’s decision to fly back into Japan to attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympics. Bach, who left Japan on Wednesday night, was criticized by the country’s top Covid-19 advisor Shigeru Omi. Omi said Bach’s decision to briefly return to Japan ran counter to “common sense” as Covid infections continue to rise in the country. In response, the International Paralympic Committee said that Bach was invited by them to attend and his itinerary was approved by the Japanese government.
FURTHER READING
Tokyo Paralympics confirm 1st COVID-19 hospitalization (Kyodo News)
Paralympics: first Tokyo Games participant in hospital with Covid-19 (The Guardian)
By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff