In Japan's "wave 7" new crown epidemic, Omicraon has become the main strain, and the symptoms of patients with sequelae have shown diversity

In Japan's "Wave 7" new crown epidemic, Omikrong became the main strain, and the symptoms of patients with sequelae showed diversity
.

"Omikron became the main strain, with new symptoms such as allergies to light and sound appearing"
.

By the end of August this year, about 400 COVID-19 patients, including patients infected with strains other than Omikron, had visited the hospital
.
Allegedly, more than 100 symptoms have been found so far, and it takes time
to determine whether they are sequelae.
"Due to the large differences in individuals, it can only be judged by the 'differential diagnosis' that negates the possibility of other diseases
.
"

The sequelae of Omikron are prone to change
.
From January to July 2022, as the Omikron epidemic in Tokyo expanded, the Nippon Keizai Shimbun (Chinese edition: Nikkei Chinese.
com) analyzed the symptoms of patients who visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital COVID-19 Sequelae Clinic during this period
.
The results found that the proportion of complaints of burnout was 46%, and the proportion of cough was 22%, an increase of 6 to 8 percentage points over
traditional strains and Delta strains.
On the other hand, the proportion of olfactory and taste disorders decreased by 4 to 6 percentage points
.

Wave 7 was a violent outbreak, with more than 260,000
new infections nationwide in August.
Although there is currently a trend of decreasing the number of new infections, it is still at a high level
.
A concern in the future is a surge in the number of patients with sequelae
.

"The peak of sequelae is about
1.
5 months later than the peak of new infections.
If the number of patients increases further, there is no capacity to accept
.
" HirahataClinic, director of the Hirahata Clinic (Shibuya, Tokyo), which has been setting up a COVID-19 specialist clinic since the beginning of the outbreak, said
with concern.
He said that the proportion of patients who complained of not only feeling burned out but also feeling loss of appetite and having a decreased ability to think at the clinic was increased
.

The sequelae of the Omichron-type strain are characterized by a large number of
young patients.
Of the 740 patients who visited the Hirahata Clinic from January to August 25, 2022, 415 (56%)
were under the age of 39.

A woman in her 30s who contracted COVID-19 in July and was so distressed by burnout and a foggy "BrainFog" on her head that she decided to suspend in mid-September
.
The woman explained: "There is no way to concentrate on the work, and there are more and more mistakes"
.
According to him, it took about a month to see a doctor who specializes in treating sequelae, and he was always worried
before the diagnosis.

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare requires local governments to establish systems to encourage COVID-19 patients to seek medical treatment at medical
institutions that can cope with the sequelae.
However, as of June, 40% of local governments across Japan have not introduced medical institutions after receiving consultations, and improving the admission system is a major issue
.

In response to the increase in the number of patients with sequelae, Fumio Otsuka of Okayama University Hospital pointed out that "local governments can effectively diagnose by linking general hospitals and clinics, etc.
, and it is best to establish such a system
.
" He also said, "The patient is upset
about the symptoms.
In addition to physical and mental assistance, there is a need to expand the number of medical social workers who can help patients return to society.
"