８都府県「ステージ４」　東京や大阪など６割超―コロナ病床使用

　厚生労働省は５日、新型コロナウイルス感染者用の病床使用率（昨年１２月３０日時点）を公表した。感染ピーク時に確保を想定する病床の使用率が５０％以上に達し、緊急事態宣言の対象となる最も深刻な「ステージ４」（爆発的感染拡大）だったのは群馬、埼玉、東京、愛知、滋賀、大阪、兵庫、広島の８都府県だった。
　使用率が２０％以上で２番目に深刻な「ステージ３」（感染急増）が２２道府県だった。
　使用率が最も高かったのは兵庫で、前週比５．４ポイント増の６７．３％。次いで大阪が０．６ポイント増の６４．４％、愛知６３．５％、東京６１．４％で４都府県が６割を超えた。「ステージ４」水準は他に群馬５５．２％、埼玉５５．９％、滋賀５１．４％、広島５５．２％。東京、埼玉と共に政府が緊急事態宣言を再発令する千葉は４０．４％、神奈川は２８．４％だった。（2021/01/05-22:45）

The occupancy rate for hospital beds for patients of the COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus topped 50 pct in eight of Japan's 47 prefectures as of Wednesday last week, the health ministry said Tuesday.
   The rate is for beds that are supposed to be secured during the infection peak. A figure of 50 pct or higher is recognized as representing Stage 4, the worst level on the four-tier scale for gauging the degree of the spread of the coronavirus. Stage 4 indicates that infections are spreading explosively, and areas in the stage can be covered by a state of emergency.
   The eight prefectures are Tokyo, eastern Japan's Gunma and Saitama, Aichi in central Japan, and Shiga, Osaka, Hyogo and Hiroshima in western Japan.
   Hyogo had the highest rate, at 67.3 pct, up 5.4 percentage points from a week before, followed by Osaka, at 64.4 pct, up 0.6 point, Aichi, at 63.5 pct, and Tokyo, at 61.4 pct. The rate came to 55.2 pct in Gunma, 55.9 pct in Saitama, 51.4 pct in Shiga and 55.2 pct in Hiroshima.
   Besides the eight, 22 prefectures saw their rates exceed 20 pct, an indication that they are in a Stage 3 situation with a rapid increase of infections. The rate stood at 40.4 pct in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, and 28.4 pct in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo.