By Sarah Maraschky | Communications Associate
The ARROWS medical team, Peace Winds’ airborne search-and-rescue squad, has been supporting treatment for patients infected with COVID-19 in Japan and in developing countries around the world. By March 2022, ARROWS was operating more than 30 on-site support activities at hospitals and medical facilities; now the teams are focusing on public lectures and educational activities to help other medical professionals and individuals mitigate the risks of COVID in their own lives rather than providing direct medical care to patients.
Doctor Daizo Sakata is one of the ARROWS doctors who has been active as a member of the response group in Hiroshima Prefecture, and he recently had the opportunity to speak at an infectious diseases workshop hosted by a health center in Hiroshima. Representatives from many health facilities attended, including hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, educational institutions, and facilities for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
Doctor Sakata spoke with participants about the difficulty of dealing with outbreaks after they occur and emphasized the importance of instead preparing for outbreaks in advance. He conducted a questionnaire on the topic and found that while many facilities stockpile personal protective equipment, there are still a few that don’t sufficiently prepare for outbreaks in advance.
Although the mortality rate from COVID has decreased, the reality remains that many infected people end up needing long-term care, and the risk of serious illness and death is even higher for elderly patients. Additionally, it is common for hospital staff themselves to become infected, spread COVID to their friends and family members, and have to take time off work, resulting in staff shortages. Therefore, it is important for health facilities to make plans in advance to operate with fewer staff members during an outbreak.
Since October 2020, Peace Winds has been holding consultations with facilities that serve people with disabilities and the elderly, and so far our teams have helped more than 220 of these to better treat their patients. COVID has dealt the world many unexpected challenges over the last two years, and since the disease isn’t going away any time soon, Peace Winds will continue to work with health leaders to help them best prepare for the unexpected.
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