Tokyo doctors’ association call for Olympics cancellation amid COVID-19 surge

After submitting a petition to cancel the Tokyo Olympics, the Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association (TMPA) has now called for the cancelation of the Games in the wake of the COVID-19 situation prevailing in Japan. The anti-Olympic petition, which was submitted last week, garnered approximately 350,000 signatures from the common citizens.

With less than 70 days to Tokyo Olympics, the TMPA has shot an open letter to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga stating the hospitals in the host city have their hands full with almost no spare capacity. The letter, dated May 14 was posted online on Monday.

“We strongly request that the authorities convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that holding the Olympics is difficult and obtain its decision to cancel the Games,” the letter said.

全国医師ユニオン代表の極めて真っ当な意見。『医療上の問題で東京五輪を中止すべきだという考えです。東京にホットスポットを作ってはいけない。危険なウイルスが東京五輪をきっかけに発生したりすると、100年にわたって東京オリンピック型ウイルスと言われかねない』 https://t.co/ajYf2guyc3 pic.twitter.com/6vVNuOy4SG

— Masa Yamamoto🌓映像ディレクター (@masa_rhythm) May 14, 2021

Meanwhile, the state of emergency in Tokyo and other cities has been extended till May 31.

The association, which comprises of 6000 primary care doctors, wrote the letter in desperation after the number of cases have skyrocketed in the country recently. However, Suga has time and again reiterated that the Tokyo Olympics can be staged ‘safe and secure’ if strict preventive measures are being implemented.

83% want Tokyo Olympics cancelled or postponed

In a weekend poll by the Asahi Shimbun daily, it was found that 43% of the population wanted the Tokyo Olympics to be canceled, while 40% asked for a postponment. That figure is quite a bit more than the 35% who backed cancelation a month ago in a survey done by the same media outlet.

Japan is facing a surge in #COVID19 deaths from more infectious variants just 10 weeks before the Tokyo Olympics are set to start.At least 18 people have died at home in Osaka as ICU beds near full capacity.A poll found 59% of people in Japan want the games to be canceled. pic.twitter.com/VIwicpyLyh

— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 11, 2021

In the letter, TMPA has stated that with almost no space available, doctors will soon experience difficulty in dealing with heat exhaustion in patients during the summer. It added that if the Tokyo Olympics, in any way, add to the rise in COVID-19 deaths in the country, the government will be held responsible.

Earlier, Kyoto University professor Hiroshi Nishiura – also an adviser to the government’s pandemic response – has urged the Tokyo Olympics to be postponed further in order to vaccinate the public. However, the government has come under sharp criticism for its snail-like approach in the vaccination roll out. Out of a total of 126 million people, only 3.5% have received vaccinations.