The Olympics Face a Shortage of Doctors in Japan Due to Pandemic
- Medical staffing reduced by 30% from 10,000 due to outbreaks
- Inbound visitors, crowds seen as top risks for infections
Japan’s medical establishment is becoming increasingly anxious about bringing together 78,000 people from 200 countries for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, even as the country struggles to keep coronavirus infections under control and speed up vaccinations.
Organizers had initially planned to have about 10,000 doctors, nurses and medical staff on standby for the games, scheduled to start in less than two months, but have had to cut that number down to about 7,000 because they’ll be needed to handle ongoing outbreaks.