The NSK has formally announced today that six new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed as of today.
These include Takadagawa oyakata and his deshi, Hakuyozan.
The current NSK policy is to disclose the names of infected members only if they are sekitori or oyakata. So the names or the heya to which the other four rikishi belong have not been disclosed.
(It is also a bit unclear from the language of the announcement if the four include the original case we have already been informed about, or are all new cases).
According to the announcement, Takadagawa oyakata had high fever, and has undergone a PCR test on April 23rd. He got a positive result and has been hospitalized since that day.
Hakuyozan did not show any symptoms, but having taken the test on April 24th, he was confirmed with the virus and has also been hospitalized.
The other patients were also hospitalized after being tested positive following the outbreak.
The NSK adds that any heya in which confirmed cases have been discovered will be disinfected, and all its members will be fully confined to the premises, with no keiko, and checked for symptoms, for the next two weeks.
Tachiai wishes all involved a speedy and complication-free recovery.
I wonder what hospitalising Hakuyozan achieves when he’s showing no symptoms, other than the risk of spreading it around the hospital
COVID-19 patients are hospitalized separately from other patients.
There are many cases who are tested due to close contact to a confirmed case, and when tested positive, they have to be under constant monitoring. The usual solution, for those confirmed, who cannot be both isolated and monitored at home, is to be sent to dedicated hotels. At least here in Israel that’s what’s being done.
There has been a tragic case only a few days ago in Japan, in which a 50 years old man with mild symptoms was told to stay at home until they find him a hospital bed, and he worsened almost overnight, and died while waiting. So I’m guessing now they hospitalize first, and decide later.
Here in the US, we are told to stay home unless any “Emergency Warning Signs” present. If they go to the hospital, they will likely stay there until they have negative tests on consecutive days. For me it was four but for most it is two. I kept going negative-positive-negative. It is a very difficult test to administer. “If your not going back far enough to cause [discomfort], you’re not going far enough.” Sumo wrestlers may be hospitalized because of how impossible it is to isolate at a stable, as well as the possible presence of underlying medical conditions… This is more along the lines of what I expected when news of the first case dropped. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html
The first case also was hospitalized immediately. But only positive cases get hospitalized.
Yeah, I am very curious about his status. Two negative tests should get you released unless there are other medical reasons to stay. He should be out.
How long did it take you to recover and test negative twice? It sounds that the first rikishi’s condition reached at least the same severity level as yours, and he possibly didn’t have the benefit of experimental medicines. I seem to recall cases taking 17 days between diagnosis and recovery, which means he’ll be back perhaps by Banzuke day.
Let’s see…I went to the hospital just after senshuraku on Sunday night. That was day 8 of symptoms for me because I was doing the “rest at home” stuff (possibly 10 if the tickle in the back of my throat was the virus). So I was actually sick at the end of the first week of Haru basho. From getting to the hospital it was the ICU and a week of feeling like crap.
I started getting negative test results with some weak positives sprinkled in there mid-way through the 10-day study. I actually had two consecutive negatives while I was still in the study. So I was probably 2.5-3 weeks but I really hope he didn’t have it as rough as me. I mean the Montezuma’s revenge was unpleasant and annoying but not being able to breathe was the worst. I have heard of cases that were three, almost four weeks. But my ER doc wanted to send me home that first day so it really comes down to the hospital and doctors. Thankfully I had the sense to say, “you’re bloody nuts, without that amazing oxygen tank, I’ll be back here tomorrow.”
When I was in the study there was a whole team of doctors who made decisions together instead of just one. They told me they were still kinda figuring out their protocols, etc. and were being pretty conservative. When I went home I was feeling great because I’d done a lot of recovery in the hospital. It still hurt my lungs to take a deep breath and that just went away in the past week.
Shudder. Yeah, that’s why I’m staying home and ordering everything in, no matter how many shops they open. I figured not being able to breathe is going to be a bad experience. All those silly people talking about “getting herd immunity” makes me want to punch the air out of their lungs for 3 minutes, so they get what it’s about.
When I got oxygen, I felt so much better. I am going stir crazy, though, so I’m heading out to get a haircut the second they let us…with a mask and hand-washing, etc.
As Herouth stated, COVID-19 patients are separated at the hospital and staff should only be seeing them when wearing PPE. Often, communication with anyone is by phone or two-way intercom, even nurses and doctors.
They need to stop dragging their heels and call off the Bashos. This is only going to get worse if they try to push on
They have set a date to publish their decision – May 6th, after the state of emergency expires. I see no reason they should rush the decision. It’s not going to make an iota of difference.
This Virus isn’t going away anytime soon. 100% not in time for the next Basho and most likely not the one after it. Given a lot of Rikishi have underlying issues due to weight. You also look at a lot of the judges and age and you’re setting up for someone to be taken out by catching it. Honestly I love Sumo, I live in After Basho depression till it comes around again, but I would rather not have sumo the rest of this year then risk Rikishi getting sick and possibly dying for the sake of the sport. I just hope they make the right choice.. Sumo is known to be one of the most difficult / Stubborn sports around….
There isn’t really a reason to be so outright pessimistic. Tokyo is in a voluntary lockdown since over two weeks and people are actually staying home. Today the number of new confirmed infections in Tokyo was just 39.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200427/k10012407421000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_001
I think sunday the week before it peaked at 201. Obviously I’m not assuming those were complete figures, but it isn’t unreasonable to assume that they mirror the trend of the infection, which seems to have significantly slowed down, at least in Tokyo.
The state of emergency will continue for another 10 days, so it doesn’t seem too unreasonable to hope for a basho without spectators like in March.
Things can change between now and then obviously, but for the moment the tendency is rather encouraging.
On Saturday I took kinda a round trip on Yamanote line and there weren’t more than 10 people in my car at any given time. That is how much things have slowed down and then is pretty much the picture anywhere.