GIFU (TR) – Three doctors at Gifu University Hospital have tested positive for the novel coronavirus following a visit to a hostess club in Gifu City where an outbreak of infections had already been confirmed, reports the Chunichi Shimbun (Apr. 5).
At a press conference on Saturday, Hisataka Moriwaki, the president of Gifu University, apologized for the situation. “To everyone, we are very sorry,” the president said.
The three male doctors — two in their 30s and one in their 20s — visited club Charme, located in the Yanagase shopping district of Gifu City, on March 26.
On Friday, the government of Gifu City revealed that three employees who were present at Charme on March 25 had tested positive for the coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19. Four other male customers had already tested positive.
Sore throat and fatigue
For all three doctors, they are showing either light or no symptoms of COVID-19.
After visiting the club, one of the doctors in his 30s began experiencing a sore throat and fatigue. However, he continued working at the outpatient section of the hospital.
The doctor in his 20s made his rounds in the hospital without wearing a mask after visiting the club. On April 1, he was transferred to Nozominooka Hospital in Minokamo City. He continued to work for three days.
Gifu University Hospital receives between 1,000 and 1,200 outpatients daily. Until April 19, the entire outpatient department and a portion of the emergency department will be closed.
“Lack of awareness”
Kazuhiro Yoshida, the director of the Gifu University Hospital, said at the same press conference, “There was a lack of awareness by the doctors themselves. I would like to wait until they recover to provide an appropriate response.”
According to data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of coronavirus infections in Japan rose by 368 on Saturday to 4,205. The total for the day is the most since the outbreak began.
