Tokyo opens oxygen station for COVID patients as cases surge

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has opened a facility in Tokyo to provide oxygen for up to 130 coronavirus patients with mild symptoms. The idea is to temporarily give supplemental oxygen to patients who develop a problem while isolating at home or waiting for hospital vacancies. There’s growing concern that people may get sicker and possibly start dying at home. Daily cases have increased more than tenfold since mid-July to about 5,000. Although Japan has far fewer cases than many other countries, the wealthy nation’s pandemic response is near collapse. Experts say that’s because only a small percentage of hospitals are taking virus patients, either for financial reasons or because they lack the capability to treat infections diseases.