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  • WORLD VIEW

COVID lessons from Japan: the right messaging empowers citizens

There’s no perfect solution to suppress the pandemic, but careful study and communication are key.
  1. Hitoshi Oshitani

    1. Hitoshi Oshitani is a professor of virology at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan. He advises the Japanese government on its pandemic response.

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Through six waves of COVID-19 in Japan, the number of cases and deaths per capita has been significantly lower than in other G7 countries. This is despite having the world’s oldest population, and being densely packed. Yes, Japan has high vaccination rates, especially for older people, and masking is common. But neither of these is a full explanation. Deaths were low even before vaccines were available, and masks are common across Asia.

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Nature 605, 589 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01385-9

Competing Interests

H.O. has an unpaid consulting contract on COVID-19 with GlaxoSmithKline and has advisory roles for the government of Japan on COVID-19.

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