病床確保計画見直し検討　「欧州並み感染拡大」念頭―厚労省

　今冬の新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大で病床が逼迫（ひっぱく）したことを踏まえ、地方自治体が策定している病床確保計画を充実させるよう、厚生労働省が見直しを求める方向で検討していることが分かった。医療機関の病床に加え、在宅での療養なども含めた体制を強化する。田村憲久厚労相は９日の閣議後記者会見で「欧州並みの感染拡大も念頭に置き、次の拡大が起こる頃までには各都道府県に（対応を）お願いしたい」と述べた。
　田村氏は会見で、在宅で療養している患者の健康管理について、地域医師会や訪問看護ステーションが支援する仕組みなどを広げ、保健所が入院の調整に注力できるような体制を構築する方針を明らかにした。（2021/03/09-10:52）

Japan's health ministry is considering asking local governments to improve their plans to secure hospital beds for COVID-19 patients as the medical system came under strain this winter due to a resurgence of the epidemic, it was learned Tuesday.
   The ministry hopes to boost the availability of such beds at medical institutions as well as develop a system for better home care for coronavirus patients.
   Health minister Norihisa Tamura told a news conference Tuesday that he wants prefectural governments to take necessary measures before the next possible expansion of infections by keeping in mind the fast spread of the virus seen in Europe.
   The central government plans to boost the involvement of local medical associations and home nursing stations in monitoring the health condition of coronavirus patients staying at home so that public health care centers can focus on making adjustments related to hospitalization, the minister said.
   Tamura offered the view that the ratio of people who had anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction, after receiving vaccinations against the novel coronavirus is higher in Japan than in the United States and elsewhere. He said that the issue will be examined at a special committee meeting of the ministry's Health Sciences Council on Friday.