Press Conference by Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, KATO Katsunobu Sunday,
February 23, 2020, 6:30 p.m. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Summarized in English by Senior Coordinator for Global Health Cooperation, International Affairs Division
Please refer to the handout:Purpose of new coronavirus measures（basic concept）［102KB］

It is important to wash your hands frequently and to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, or with the crook of your arm if a tissue is unavailable, when coughing or sneezing to protect yourself and others from the virus, just as you do for the common cold or the flu. We strongly recommend everyday preventive actions to help keep the virus from spreading.

If you have any of the following symptoms, please consult with the consultation center for people with potential exposure to COVID-19:
- You have had cold symptoms or a fever of 37.5°C or over for four days or more.
(including when you need to continue to take an antipyretic)
- You have a strong feeling of weariness (fatigue) or shortness of breath (difficulty breathing).
* Please also consult with the consultation center if you are a senior citizen or have an underlying disease, and you have had the symptoms mentioned above for about two days.
If the consultation center suspects that you have been infected with the virus, it will introduce you to a medical institution where medical services for people with potential exposure to COVID-19 are available. Please visit the medical institution, wearing a facemask, and refrain from using public transportation.

The infection control measures taken at the Cruise ship “Diamond Princess”（provisional translation）
PDF［29KB］

On February 24, Experts held a press conference on the case of the novel coronavirus at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Conducted by:
Members of Expert Meeting on the Novel Coronavirus Disease
- OMI Shigeru,M.D.,Ph.D., President, Japan Community Health care Organization
- OHMAGARI Norio,M.D.,Ph.D., Director, Disease Control & Prevention Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine
- KITA Yosuke, Senior Coordinator for Global Health Cooperation, International Affairs Division, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Please refer to the YouTube video clips and figures used in their explanation as follows;
YouTube video clips:Part1,Part2,Part3,Part4,Part5,Part6,Part7
Figure:Number of new symptomatic coronavirus infektion cases and fever reports,by date of onset,Cruise Ship DP,as of February 23,2020［68KB］

Press Conference on the Situation of the novel Coronavirus Disease in the Cruise Ship off the coast of Yokohama was held in the MOFA Press Conference Room from 20:40 to 21:40 on Friday 21 February 2020.
Professor, SUZUKI Motoi, M.D., MSc., PHDC, Ph.D., of Infectious Disease Surveillance Center, National Institute of Infectious Disease and Professor, NISHIURA Hiroshi, M.D., Ph.D., DTM&H, of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University explained the situation based on their analysis using the data obtained on the cruise ship.
Please refer to the YouTube video clips and figures used in their explanation as follows;
YouTube video clips:Part1,Part2,Part3,Part4
Figure 1: Changes in the number of new coronavirus infection cases and fever reports on the cruise ship (as of February 19) [374KB]
Figure 2: Number of COVID-19 cases with symptoms among the passengers on the Cruise ship (by close contact status, as of 02/19/2020) [412KB]
Figure 3: Number of predicted infections from one patient, by generation (Reproduction rate)[182KB]

○Confirmed cases outside Japan

※　China: New definition in use to diagnose since February 13（Clinically  diagnosed cases are now included in Hubei）

Q & A on 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

Tourists from other countries may seek help on Japan Visitor Hotline

You can find the medical institutions offering assistance in foreign languages on the following website.
Click here Medical institutions offering assistance in foreign languages

Pneumonia with unknown causes in China
WHO statement on the outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan city, China
New coronavirus –South Korea
New coronavirus in China
International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on novel coronavirus in China

Human-to-human transmission of a new coronavirus
Details on coronavirus and information about pneumonia linked to a new coronavirus reported in Wuhan city, Hubei Province of the People's Republic of China

National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China
Wuhan Municipal Health Commission
Guangdong Province Health Commission
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control - CDC
First Travel-related Case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Detected in United States

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