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The story
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported that the number of flu patients per fixed-point medical institution nationwide reached 8.48 for the week ending September 20, up about 1.5 times from 5.54 the previous week. This marks the 13th consecutive week of increases. By prefecture, Okinawa topped the list with 26.27, followed by Tokyo at 15.21, Aichi at 15.12, and Kanagawa at 14.71. On 5ch threads, various theories flew back and forth over why Okinawa’s numbers stood out — from the impact of foreign tourists to a rebound effect from insufficient indoor ventilation during the COVID pandemic — alongside ongoing exchanges about vaccine effectiveness, side effects, and personal experiences.
The number of flu patients reported per medical institution is up about 1.5 times from the previous week.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, a total of 31,428 patients were reported from fixed-point medical institutions nationwide during the week ending September 20, working out to 8.48 per institution.
That’s roughly 1.5 times the 5.54 recorded the previous week, marking 13 consecutive weeks of increases.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Wasn't Okinawa — the highest number — also the one with a low vaccination rate?
It'll all work out, Okinawan-style! (nankurunaisa — Okinawan dialect for 'it'll be fine')
Though I do have some contact with people at work.
You'll catch it from a delivery package.
Neither one lasts very long, right?
Influencers do more damage.
The infection rate is terrifying.
Have you gotten the so-called 'COVID vaccine'?
If you haven't yet, please help protect your loved ones by getting the so-called '~mRNA COVID vaccine~'. Let's all achieve herd immunity together 💪
Though I might've just been asymptomatic.
I used to catch the flu almost every year.
My kid would bring it home from kindergarten or school,
and I'd catch it on the train too.
Since COVID, I think I've maybe had it once.
Flu shots were mandatory when I was little, but I haven't gotten one since becoming a working adult.
But wasn't that about some new strain of COVID?
Just check hospital parking lots via military satellite, you'll know right away. (a nod to the early-COVID meme of spotting outbreaks from satellite images of packed hospital lots)
Nobody wears masks or sanitizes their hands anymore these days — that's probably contributing as well.
COVID's been spreading year-round anyway.
Lately I actually feel pressure to take my mask OFF, if anything.
people move around just as freely in Tokyo.
According to the Okinawa Times:
'Kids didn't catch the flu during COVID'
'Because we kept the windows closed'
Wait, did they seriously print that??? Wasn't it an Okinawan doctor or scholar early in COVID who kept saying 'ventilation, ventilation is everything!'?
> By prefecture, Okinawa had the most at 26.27, followed by Tokyo at 15.21, and so on.
Tokyo's spreading too.
Guess Miyazaki really is its own isolated island (despite being on the mainland).
Flu 'advisory' drawing near — up 1.5x from last week, increase continues
https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/518452
…31,428 cases were reported during that period.
By prefecture, the highest per-clinic count was Okinawa at 26.27, followed by Tokyo at 15.21, Aichi at 15.12, and Kanagawa at 14.71.
All 46 prefectures except Miyazaki have now exceeded 1, the threshold marking the start of an epidemic.
Already forgotten after 30 years?
It's not that they forgot — they probably never knew in the first place.
80% of people only care about celebrities and athletes; there's no way truly important information ever reaches them.
Don't talk nonsense — routine vaccination for the elderly was resumed back in 2001.
First time I've ever had the flu, and it's rougher than COVID.
Nearly 40°C fever, joint pain, and crushing fatigue.
Everyone wash your hands.
If you'd gotten the shot, your symptoms would've been milder.
Well, that's the flu for you.
Oh wow, what devout faith lol
Keep it up and go get the so-called mRNA COVID vaccine too lol
That's beside the point.
It only helps prevent severe illness, nothing more.
Background and key points of this topic
The flu’s fixed-point reporting system tracks the average number of patients reported by roughly 5,000 medical institutions nationwide per institution, with a reading above “1” marking the start of an epidemic. This time, 46 of Japan’s 47 prefectures (all except Miyazaki) have crossed that threshold, with especially high numbers in urban areas and the southwestern islands such as Okinawa, Tokyo, Aichi, and Kanagawa. Posters in the thread never reached a consensus on why Okinawa stands out so much — theories ranged from the movement of foreign visitors to a rebound effect from avoiding indoor ventilation during the COVID pandemic — but it’s worth noting none of this is confirmed by actual reporting. There was also plenty of back-and-forth over vaccination and side effects, but the flu itself produces a certain number of complication cases every year, and there’s no medical evidence of a recent sudden surge. The oft-cited “10 times last year’s level” figure may also simply reflect the fact that last year was a record low, which makes a straightforward comparison misleading.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “Flu case numbers over 10 times the same period last year, up about 1.5x from the previous week, 13 straight weeks of increase, Okinawa highest at 26.27, followed by Tokyo at 15.21.”
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